Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 levels are associated with major depressive disorder
AbstractMajor depressive disorder (MDD) is a distressing condition characterized by persistent low mood, loss of interest in daily activities. Many biological, psycho-social, and genetic factors are thought to be involved with depression. The present study aimed to investigate the serum levels of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in MDD patients to explore its role in the development of depression. This case-control study recruited 114 MDD patients and 106 healthy controls (HCs) matched by age and gender. A specialized psychiatrist diagnosed the cases and evaluated the controls based on the diagnostic and statistical manual for mental disorders, 5th edition. The serum MCP-1 levels were quantified by commercially available enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay kits. The Hamilton depression rating scale (Ham-D) was applied to measure the severity of depression. We observed the decreased levels of serum MCP-1 in MDD patients compared to HCs. A significant negative correlation was obtained between serum MCP-1 levels and Ham-D scores. Also, female MDD patients with higher Ham-D scores exhibited lower serum MCP-1 levels. The receiver operating characteristic analysis demonstrated the good diagnostic value of MCP-1 with the area under the curve at 0.837. The depression-related alteration of serum MCP-1 may be more complicated than the current assumption and depends on the characteristics of the individual patients. Our study suggests that the serum MCP-1 levels might be involved in the pathophysiology and mechanism of MDD. The present findings, along with the diagnostic evaluation, might be used to assess the depression risk.