Department of Pharmacy, University of Asia Pacific, Farmgate, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Department of Psychiatry, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Shahabagh, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
PLoS One. 2024 Jun 18;19(6):e0305734. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0305734. eCollection 2024.
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common and debilitating mental illness characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and a lack of interest in daily activities. The objective of this study was to investigate whether levels of macrophage inflammatory protein-1β (MIP-1β) and macrophage chemoattractant protein-2 (MCP-2) in the blood were associated with the pathophysiology and development of MDD compared to healthy controls (HCs).
This case-control study was conducted involving 50 MDD patients and 38 HCs. We performed a comprehensive assessment to match age, sex, BMI, and socio-demographic profile between the groups. The study excluded participants with chronic infection, inflammatory diseases, coexisting psychiatric disorder, history of liver and kidney diseases, and individuals who are under antipsychotic medications. A professional psychiatrist diagnosed MDD patients and evaluated HCs based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (DSM-5) criteria. The severity of depression was assessed using the Hamilton Depression (Ham-D) rating scale. Commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits were used to quantify the serum MIP-1β and MCP-2 levels.
The results indicated elevated serum MIP-1β levels (207.73±24.24 pg/ml) in MDD patients compared to HCs (58.77±9.14 pg/ml). This difference in concentration is positively correlated with severity of disease symptoms (r = 0.451; p<0.001). Similarly, the levels of MCP-2 were found to be elevated in patients compared to controls (143.61±19.92 vs. 56.84±4.02 pg/ml; p = 0.003), with a positive correlation with the Ham-D scores (r = 0.373; p = 0.004).
According to this study, elevated levels of MIP-1β and MCP-2 may be associated with the pathophysiology and development of MDD. These increased serum MIP-1β and MCP-2 levels could be used as risk assessment tools for MDD. The present findings urge further research and the development of therapeutic and diagnostic approaches for depression.
重度抑郁症（MDD）是一种常见且使人虚弱的精神疾病，其特征为持续的悲伤、绝望感和对日常活动缺乏兴趣。本研究旨在探讨与健康对照组（HCs）相比，血液中的巨噬细胞炎性蛋白-1β（MIP-1β）和巨噬细胞趋化因子-2（MCP-2）水平是否与 MDD 的病理生理学和发展有关。
本病例对照研究纳入了 50 名 MDD 患者和 38 名 HCs。我们进行了全面评估，以匹配两组的年龄、性别、BMI 和社会人口学特征。该研究排除了患有慢性感染、炎症性疾病、并存精神障碍、肝肾功能障碍病史以及正在服用抗精神病药物的参与者。专业精神科医生根据《精神障碍诊断与统计手册-5》（DSM-5）标准诊断 MDD 患者，并对 HCs 进行评估。使用汉密尔顿抑郁量表（Ham-D）评定抑郁严重程度。采用商业酶联免疫吸附测定（ELISA）试剂盒定量血清 MIP-1β 和 MCP-2 水平。
结果表明，与 HCs（58.77±9.14 pg/ml）相比，MDD 患者的血清 MIP-1β 水平升高（207.73±24.24 pg/ml）。这种浓度差异与疾病症状的严重程度呈正相关（r = 0.451；p<0.001）。同样，与对照组相比，患者的 MCP-2 水平也升高（143.61±19.92 与 56.84±4.02 pg/ml；p = 0.003），且与 Ham-D 评分呈正相关（r = 0.373；p = 0.004）。
根据本研究，MIP-1β 和 MCP-2 的水平升高可能与 MDD 的病理生理学和发展有关。这些血清 MIP-1β 和 MCP-2 水平的升高可作为 MDD 的风险评估工具。本研究结果促使进一步研究并开发治疗和诊断抑郁症的方法。
