Serum CC Chemokines as Potential Biomarkers for the Diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder

Abstract

Evidence indicates a potential role of chemokines in depression-like behavior and depression-related pathophysiological processes. In the present study, we examined the serum levels of multiple chemokines, focusing on CC chemokines, in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), with the aim to discover and identify serum chemokines-based biomarkers for MDD diagnosis. Methods: Participants included 24 patients with MDD and 24 healthy controls. The 24-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-24) was administered to assess the disease severity of patients with MDD. A total of 9 serum CC chemokines including MCP-1 (CCL-2), MIP-1α (CCL-3), MIP-1β (CCL-4), eotaxin-1 (CCL-11), MCP-4 (CCL-13), TARC (CCL-17), MIP-3α (CCL-20), MDC (CCL-22), and Eotaxin-3 (CCL-26) were measured using electrochemiluminescence immunoassays. The levels of serum CC chemokines between MDD group and control group were compared, and diagnostic values of different CC chemokines were evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve method for discriminating MDD patients from healthy controls. Correlations between the levels of serum CC chemokines and depression severity (HAMD-24 scores) were evaluated using Pearson's correlation test. Results: Patients with MDD had higher levels of serum MIP-1α and MIP-1β and lower levels of serum MCP-1, MCP-4, TARC, MDC, and Eotaxin-3 compared to controls (all P < 0.05). Moreover, ROC curve analysis showed that the Area Under Curve (AUC) values of MIP-1α, MCP-4, TARC, and Eotaxin-3 were > 0.7 in discriminating patients with MDD from healthy controls. Furthermore, no significant relationship was found between the levels of serum CC chemokines and HAMD-24 scores in MDD group. Conclusion: These results suggested that circulating CC chemokines may hold promise in the discovery of biomarkers for diagnosing MDD.

Potential Inflammatory Biomarkers for Major Depressive Disorder Related to Suicidal Behaviors: A Systematic Review

“…The CCL2 – CCR2 axis activates microglia and regulates the release of proinflammatory factors [ 79 ]. CCL2′s involvement in MDD pathogenesis is supported by human and animal studies [ 79 ], albeit with mixed findings related to antidepressant response [ 80 ]. CCL2 levels may serve as potential biomarkers for MDD with suicide-related behaviors, necessitating further investigation into their predictive capacity in the context of other relevant factors.…”