Depression and altered metabolism
The major depressive disorder (MDD, from the English Major Depressive Disorder) is a condition, often chronic, characterized by molecular alterations And dysregulation of metabolic pathways. Single metabolites and targeted metabolomic platforms have revealed several metabolic alterations in depression, including the energy metabolism, the neurotransmission and the lipid metabolism. In one study, 820 metabolites were identified using the Metabolon metabolomics platform in 2770 subjects from a Dutch cohort, with extensive clinical characteristics (1101 subjects with current MDD, 868 with MDD in remission, 801 healthy controls).
The revealing metabolites
The diagnosis of MDD was based on psychiatric interviews according to the DSM-IV. Depression severity was measured with the Self-Report Depressive Symptom Inventory.. The association between metabolites, MDD status, and depression severity was assessed at baseline and at 6-year follow-up. At diagnosis, 139 metabolites were associated with current MDD status and 126 with depression severity, with 79 metabolites overlapping..
The metabolomic signature of depression
The metabolomic profile of depression identified indicated a altered lipid metabolism with downregulation of long-chain fatty acids And upregulation of lysophospholipids. This metabolomic signature offers a window into the pathophysiology of depression and a potential entry point for the development of novel therapeutic approaches through a more comprehensive coverage of the metabolome, to further specify the metabolic dysregulations in the depression and reveal mechanisms that have not yet been identified.
For further information:
Jansen R, Milaneschi Y, Schranner D, Kastenmuller G, Arnold M, Han X, Dunlop BW; Mood Disorder Precision Medicine Consortium; Rush AJ, Kaddurah-Daouk R, Penninx BWJH. The metabolome-wide signature of major depressive disorder. Mol Psychiatry. 2024 Dec;29(12):3722-3733. doi: 10.1038/s41380-024-02613-6.