Evaluating the Levels of Nesfatin-1 and Ghrelin Hormones in Patients with Moderate and Severe Major Depressive Disorders

Abstract

Objective The goal of this study was to evaluate the importance of nesfatin-1, acylated and des-acylated ghrelin, which are known as energy regulatory hormones, in patients with moderate and severe major depression disorders (MDD). Methods Thirty patients with a moderate degree of MDD and, 30 with a severe degree of MDD were used as participants in this study. Thirty subjects without depression were enrolled as a control group. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale was used to classify the patients with MDD. Blood samples were taken after overnight fasting. The plasma nesfatin-1, acylated ghrelin and des-acylated ghrelin levels were measured using a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. Results The nesfatin-1, the acylated ghrelin and the des-acylated ghrelin levels were found to be significantly higher in severe MDD (3.92±0.4 ng/mL; 88.56±4.1 pg/mL; 962.76±67 pg/mL) as compared to moderate MDD (2.91±0.5 ng/mL; 77.63±4.19 pg/mL; 631.16±35 pg/mL), or the control (1.01±0.3 ng/mL; 58.60±9.00 pg/mL; 543.13±62 pg/mL), respectively. Conclusion Although nesfatin-1 and ghrelin are known as adversely affecting the hormones involving the regulation of appetite and food intake, they all increase in depressive patients and are even associated with the severity of the disease. In clinical medicine, the evaluation of the role of nesfatin-1 and ghrelin in endocrine and neu-roendocrine regulation of major metabolic functions is an important key mechanism in solving numerous diseases associated with endocrine and neuroendocrine disturbance. Increased levels of nesfatin-1 and ghrelin may also be important criteria in describing the prognoses of the patients and the effectiveness of the treatments.

Acylated ghrelin levels were associated with depressive status, physical quality of life, endoscopic findings based on Kyoto classification in Japan

“…Algul et al (30) have reported that the acylated ghrelin levels were found to be significantly higher in severe major depression disorders as compared to control group. In our data, SRQ-D score in FD patients with high levels of acylated ghrelin was significantly higher compared to that in low levels of acylated ghrelin.…”

Current Understanding of the Role of Nesfatin-1

“…Besides the correlation with self-reported anxiety, circulating NUCB2/nesfatin-1 was also associated with reported depression in a mixed-sex population [ 122 ], with NUCB2/nesfatin-1 levels rising with increasing severity of depression [ 123 , 124 ], and correlated with inflammatory markers such as IL-6 and C-reactive protein as well as corticosterone under these conditions [ 125 ]. Higher NUCB2/nesfatin-1 levels were subsequently shown in patients reporting depression associated with subclinical hypothyroidism [ 126 ], leading to the hypothesis of nesfatin-1 being involved in these symptoms.…”

Metabolic and Microbiota Measures as Peripheral Biomarkers in Major Depressive Disorder

“…This finding indicates that in the depressed population elevated ghrelin may have roles outside of increasing eating behavior and may interact to influence the HPA axis resulting in elevated stress response. Furthermore, work by Algul et al found both acylated and deacylated serum ghrelin level were elevated in MDD patients and increases in ghrelin concentration significantly correlated with disease severity ( 84 ).…”