Wang Lu, Liu Ting, Guo Jimin, Zhao Tingyu, Tang Hui, Dong Fang, Wang Chuanyue, Chen Jindong, Tang Mimi
The National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders Center of Schizophrenia, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Front Pharmacol. 2023 Dec 18;14:1314151. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1314151. eCollection 2023.
Since depression, sex hormones, and fatty acid status are interrelated, it is important to understand their relationships. In this study, we aimed to investigate sex differences in erythrocyte membrane fatty acid composition among first-diagnosed, drug-naïve patients with major depressive disorders. The study included 139 individuals with first-diagnosed, drug-naïve depression (male/female = 48/91) and 55 healthy controls (male/female = 24/31). The levels of erythrocyte membrane fatty acids were analyzed to compare the difference between males and females in both patients with depression and healthy controls, as well as to study their correlation with depressive symptoms. In first-diagnosed, drug-naïve patients with major depressive disorders, sex disparities were observed in the levels of erythrocyte saturated fatty acids (SFAs) and n-6 PUFAs (such as C18:0, C20:4n6 and C22:4n6), where higher levels evident in females compared to in males. We found a noteworthy correlation between fatty acid levels and depressive symptoms, in which there is a significant association between female patients and depression but a weaker association between male patients and depression. Our findings demonstrate higher levels of n-6 PUFAs and SFAs in female patients with depression. The relationship between fatty acid composition and depressive symptoms was more prominent in females than males. These findings highlight the significance of considering sex as a crucial and interconnected factor in future investigations and potential adjunctive treatment for mood disorders by targeting fatty acid metabolism.
由于抑郁症、性激素和脂肪酸状态相互关联，了解它们之间的关系很重要。在本研究中，我们旨在调查首次诊断、未接受药物治疗的重度抑郁症患者红细胞膜脂肪酸组成的性别差异。该研究纳入了139例首次诊断、未接受药物治疗的抑郁症患者（男/女 = 48/91）和55名健康对照者（男/女 = 24/31）。分析红细胞膜脂肪酸水平，以比较抑郁症患者和健康对照者中男性和女性之间的差异，并研究它们与抑郁症状的相关性。在首次诊断、未接受药物治疗的重度抑郁症患者中，红细胞饱和脂肪酸（SFA）和n-6多不饱和脂肪酸（如C18:0、C20:4n6和C22:4n6）水平存在性别差异，女性水平高于男性。我们发现脂肪酸水平与抑郁症状之间存在显著相关性，其中女性患者与抑郁症之间的关联显著，而男性患者与抑郁症之间的关联较弱。我们的研究结果表明，抑郁症女性患者的n-6多不饱和脂肪酸和饱和脂肪酸水平较高。脂肪酸组成与抑郁症状之间的关系在女性中比在男性中更突出。这些发现凸显了在未来针对脂肪酸代谢的情绪障碍调查和潜在辅助治疗中，将性别视为关键且相互关联因素的重要性。
