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BMC Psychiatry
Published in: BMC Psychiatry 1/2014

Open Access 01-12-2014 | Research article

Decreased plasma neuroactive amino acids and increased nitric oxide levels in melancholic major depressive disorder

Authors: Yun-Rong Lu, Xin-Yan Fu, Li-Gen Shi, Yan Jiang, Juan-Li Wu, Xiao-Juan Weng, Zhao-Pin Wang, Xue-Yan Wu, Zheng Lin, Wei-Bo Liu, Hui-Chun Li, Jian-Hong Luo, Ai-Min Bao

Published in: BMC Psychiatry | Issue 1/2014

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Abstract

Background

Amino acid neurotransmitters and nitric oxide (NO) are involved in the pathogenesis of major depressive disorder (MDD). Here we want to establish whether changes in their plasma levels may serve as biomarker for the melancholic subtype of this disorder.

Methods

Plasma levels of glutamic acid (Glu), aspartic acid (Asp), glycine (Gly), gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and NO were determined in 27 medicine-naïve melancholic MDD patients and 30 matched controls. Seven of the MDD patients participated also in a follow-up study after 2 months’ antidepressant treatment. The relationship between plasma and cerebral-spinal fluid (CSF) levels of these compounds was analyzed in an additional group of 10 non-depressed subjects.

Results

The plasma levels of Asp, Gly and GABA were significantly lower whereas the NO levels were significantly higher in melancholic MDD patients, also after 2 months of fluoxetine treatment. In the additional 10 non-depressed subjects, no significant correlation was observed between plasma and CSF levels of these compounds.

Conclusion

These data give the first indication that decreased plasma levels of Asp, Gly and GABA and increased NO levels may serve as a clinical trait-marker for melancholic MDD. The specificity and selectivity of this putative trait-marker has to be investigated in follow-up studies.
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Metadata
Title
Decreased plasma neuroactive amino acids and increased nitric oxide levels in melancholic major depressive disorder
Authors
Yun-Rong Lu
Xin-Yan Fu
Li-Gen Shi
Yan Jiang
Juan-Li Wu
Xiao-Juan Weng
Zhao-Pin Wang
Xue-Yan Wu
Zheng Lin
Wei-Bo Liu
Hui-Chun Li
Jian-Hong Luo
Ai-Min Bao
Publication date
01-12-2014
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Psychiatry / Issue 1/2014
Electronic ISSN: 1471-244X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-244X-14-123

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