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- Title
Associations between Sex Hormones and Circulating Growth Differentiation Factor-15 in Male Patients with Major Depressive Disorder.
- Authors
Sun, Ting; Peng, Rui; Sun, Xiaojun; Li, Yan
- Abstract
The interaction between the endocrine system and inflammation is crucial pathogenesis of depression. Our study aimed at exploring the possible relationship between sex hormones and growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15), a common indicator of inflammation in male patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Methods: GDF-15 levels of 121 male MDD patients were compared with 105 healthy subjects with the help of a Cobas 8000 automatic chemiluminescence immunoanalyzer. Results: (1) MDD patients showed higher GDF-15 levels, a lower testosterone (T) level and testosterone/estradiol ratio (T/E2 ratio) than healthy subjects (all p < 0.05). (2) Serum T levels and the T/E2 ratio were inversely associated with GDF-15 serum levels (all p < 0.05). (3) HAMD-24 scores were positively correlated with the levels of GDF-15 (p < 0.01), but not with T levels, estradiol (E2) levels, and the T/E2 ratio (all p > 0.05). Conclusion: The high level of GDF-15 was correlated with a low T/E2 ratio and T deficiency in male MDD patients. The above results demonstrate that up-regulation of serum GDF-15 and down-regulation of T and T/E2 ratio may be correlated with the occurrence and severity of depression. So, changing the level of GDF-15 by regulating the proportion of sex hormones may play a key role in the prognosis and treatment of depression.
- Subjects
MENTAL depression; SEX hormones; SOMATOTROPIN; ENDOCRINE system
- Publication
Brain Sciences (2076-3425), 2021, Vol 11, Issue 12, p1612
- ISSN
2076-3425
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.3390/brainsci11121612