Reduced peripheral brain-derived neurotrophic factor mRNA levels are normalized by antidepressant treatment

Abstract

Consistent data coming from biochemical studies have evidenced a brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) serum reduction in depressed patients compared to controls and a restoration following antidepressant treatment. However, to date, no study has evaluated whether BDNF synthesis in leukocytes could contribute to such modulation. Therefore, in this study, we analysed BDNF mRNA levels in leukocytes from 21 depressed patients prior to and during escitalopram treatment and from 23 control subjects showing that BDNF mRNA levels were decreased in drug-free depressed patients and that 12 wk escitalopram treatment was able to reverse this deficit. Interestingly, changes in BDNF mRNA levels paralleled BDNF serum increase during antidepressant treatment, and were correlated with symptoms improvement. Our results indicate that BDNF serum modulation observed in depressed patients is associated with BDNF synthesis alteration in leukocytes and suggest that these peripheral cells might play an active role in the mechanisms of action of antidepressants.

The Expression of VGF is Reduced in Leukocytes of Depressed Patients and it is Restored by Effective Antidepressant Treatment

“…The above evidence share many similarities to what is known about the peripheral modulation of BDNF in depressed subjects (Krishnan and Nestler, 2008). In this regard, analyzing BDNF expression levels in the same group of controls and patients we have recently found a decrease of BDNF levels in drug-free depressed patients and a progressive increase following escitalopram treatment (Cattaneo et al, 2010). Interestingly, we found a positive correlation between the changes occurring in the expression of BDNF and VGF after antidepressant treatment suggesting that the two molecules could be involved in the same mechanisms induced by antidepressants and/or that they might co-operate in determining the functional recovery of patients.…”

“…In the same group of controls and patients we have also analyzed the expression levels of the neurotrophin BDNF and, interestingly, we observed a pattern of modulation similar to VGF. In fact, BDNF mRNA levels were significantly reduced in drug-free depressed patients at the baseline (PT0) as compared with controls and were restored to normal levels following 12 weeks of antidepressant treatment (Cattaneo et al, 2010). In addition, to extrapolate some indications on the putative interaction between BDNF and VGF, we calculated a Pearson's correlation factor between the changes of the two trophic molecules induced by Figure 1 VGF mRNA levels are reduced following prenatal stress paradigm in rodents.…”

Increased Levels of miR-30e, miR-132, miR-185, and miR- 212 at Baseline and Increased Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor Protein and mRNA Levels after Treatment in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder

“…Our findings of BDNF protein and mRNA levels in response to antidepressant treatment were in line with earlier studies [4][5][6][7]17]. In our sample, eighteen out of nineteen patients of this sample were females, suggesting that gender might also play a role in BDNF levels in MDD.…”

“…Lower BDNF levels had been observed in patients with MDD [4,5], and antidepressant treatment could increase BDNF levels [6]. Decreased peripheral BDNF mRNA levels could also be reversed by antidepressant treatment [7].…”

Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Serum Levels and Genotype: Association with Depression during Interferon-α Treatment

“…However, many immune and vascular endothelial cells also produce BNDF (Besser and Wank, 1999;Furuno and Nakanishi, 2006;Kerschensteiner et al, 1999;Kimata, 2005;Nakahashi et al, 2000;Prakash et al, 2009;Rezaee et al, 2010;Ziemssen et al, 2002); serum BDNF also correlates with leukocyte BDNF mRNA (Cattaneo et al, 2009), and systemic levels of BDNF are actually increased during attacks of multiple sclerosis (Liguori et al, 2009). Thus, there may be a complicated relationship between cortical and serum BDNF (Gass and Hellweg, 2010).…”