Elgellaie Asmahan, Larkin Theresa, Kaelle Jacqueline, Mills Jessica, Thomas Susan
School of Medicine, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, NSW, 2522, Australia.
Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW, 2522, Australia.
Compr Psychoneuroendocrinol. 2021 Mar 20;6:100049. doi: 10.1016/j.cpnec.2021.100049. eCollection 2021 May.
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is linked to poor physical health including an increased risk of developing cardiometabolic disease (CMD), yet the underlying physiology of this relationship is not clear. One pathophysiological mechanism that may underlie this relationship is neuroendocrine dysregulation, including that of the hormone prolactin. Prolactin has a role in the regulation of stress, and it is linked to anxiety, hostility, and weight gain, which are all implicated in MDD and increased CMD risk. However, little research has examined plasma prolactin in association with psychological symptoms of MDD or biometric indices of CMD risk. Method: Plasma samples of 120 participants (n = 60 meeting DSM-5 criteria for MDD and n = 60 control; age and sex matched) were analysed to assess prolactin concentration. Biometric data (BMI, waist circumference, blood pressure and heart rate) were collected, and participants completed the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS).
Plasma prolactin was higher in participants with MDD versus controls (8.79 ± 5.16 ng/mL and 7.03 ± 4.78 ng/mL, respectively; F = 4.528, p = 0.035) and among females versus males (9.14 ± 5.57 ng/mL and 6.31 ± 3.70 ng/mL, respectively; F = 9.157, p = 0.003). Prolactin was correlated with several psychological symptoms including anxiety, hostility and somatization, and with heart rate, but not with any other biometric measures.
The results of this study indicate that neuroendocrine dysregulation in MDD may extend to the hormone prolactin, with prolactin being specifically associated with a subset of related psychometric and cardiovascular measures.
重度抑郁症（MDD）与身体健康不佳有关，包括患心脏代谢疾病（CMD）的风险增加，然而这种关系的潜在生理机制尚不清楚。神经内分泌失调，包括激素催乳素的失调，可能是这种关系的一种病理生理机制。催乳素在应激调节中起作用，并且与焦虑、敌意和体重增加有关，而这些都与MDD和CMD风险增加有关。然而，很少有研究探讨血浆催乳素与MDD的心理症状或CMD风险的生物特征指标之间的关系。方法：分析了120名参与者（n = 60符合DSM-5 MDD标准，n = 60为对照；年龄和性别匹配）的血浆样本，以评估催乳素浓度。收集生物特征数据（体重指数、腰围、血压和心率），参与者完成简明症状量表（BSI）和抑郁焦虑压力量表（DASS）。
与对照组相比，MDD患者的血浆催乳素水平更高（分别为8.79±5.16 ng/mL和7.03±4.78 ng/mL；F = 4.528，p = 0.035），女性高于男性（分别为9.14±5.57 ng/mL和6.31±3.70 ng/mL；F = 9.157，p = 0.003）。催乳素与包括焦虑、敌意和躯体化在内的几种心理症状以及心率相关，但与任何其他生物特征指标无关。
本研究结果表明，MDD中的神经内分泌失调可能扩展到激素催乳素，催乳素与一组相关的心理测量和心血管指标特别相关。
