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SLC6A4 DNA Methylation Levels and Serum Kynurenine/Tryptophan Ratio in Eating Disorders: A Possible Link with Psychopathological Traits?

Background: The incidence of eating disorders (EDs), serious mental and physical conditions characterized by a disturbance in eating or eating-related behaviors, has increased steadily. The present study aims to develop insights into the pathophysiology of EDs, spanning over biochemical, epigenetic,...

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Autores principales: Franzago, Marica, Orecchini, Elena, Porreca, Annamaria, Mondanelli, Giada, Orabona, Ciriana, Dalla Ragione, Laura, Di Nicola, Marta, Stuppia, Liborio, Vitacolonna, Ester, Beccari, Tommaso, Ceccarini, Maria Rachele
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9866524/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36678277
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/nu15020406
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author Franzago, Marica
Orecchini, Elena
Porreca, Annamaria
Mondanelli, Giada
Orabona, Ciriana
Dalla Ragione, Laura
Di Nicola, Marta
Stuppia, Liborio
Vitacolonna, Ester
Beccari, Tommaso
Ceccarini, Maria Rachele
author_facet Franzago, Marica
Orecchini, Elena
Porreca, Annamaria
Mondanelli, Giada
Orabona, Ciriana
Dalla Ragione, Laura
Di Nicola, Marta
Stuppia, Liborio
Vitacolonna, Ester
Beccari, Tommaso
Ceccarini, Maria Rachele
author_sort Franzago, Marica
collection PubMed
description Background: The incidence of eating disorders (EDs), serious mental and physical conditions characterized by a disturbance in eating or eating-related behaviors, has increased steadily. The present study aims to develop insights into the pathophysiology of EDs, spanning over biochemical, epigenetic, psychopathological, and clinical data. In particular, we focused our attention on the relationship between (i) DNA methylation profiles at promoter-associated CpG sites of the SCL6A4 gene, (ii) serum kynurenine/tryptophan levels and ratio (Kyn/Trp), and (iii) psychopathological traits in a cohort of ED patients. Among these, 45 patients were affected by restricting anorexia nervosa (AN0), 21 by purging AN (AN1), 21 by bulimia (BN), 31 by binge eating disorders (BED), 23 by unspecified feeding or eating disorders (UFED), and finally 14 by other specified eating disorders (OSFED) were compared to 34 healthy controls (CTRs). Results: Kyn level was higher in BED, UFED, and OSFED compared to CTRs (p ≤ 0.001). On the other hand, AN0, AN1, and BN patients showed significatively lower Kyn levels compared to the other three ED groups but were closed to CTRs. Trp was significantly higher in AN0, AN1, and BN in comparison to other ED groups. Moreover, AN1 and BN showed more relevant Trp levels than CTRs (p <0.001). BED patients showed a lower Trp as compared with CTRs (p ≤ 0.001). In addition, Kyn/Trp ratio was lower in the AN1 subtype but higher in BED, UFED, and OSFED patients than in CTRs (p ≤ 0.001). SCL6A4 DNA methylation level at CpG5 was lower in AN0 compared to BED (p = 0.021), and the CpG6 methylation was also significantly lower in AN0 in comparison to CTRs (p = 0.025). The mean methylation levels of the six CpGs analyzed were lower only in the AN0 subgroup compared to CTRs (p = 0.008). Relevant psychological trait EDI-3 subscales were correlated with biochemical and epigenetic data. Conclusions: These findings underline the complexity of psychological and pathophysiological components of EDs.
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spelling pubmed-98665242023-01-22 SLC6A4 DNA Methylation Levels and Serum Kynurenine/Tryptophan Ratio in Eating Disorders: A Possible Link with Psychopathological Traits? Franzago, Marica Orecchini, Elena Porreca, Annamaria Mondanelli, Giada Orabona, Ciriana Dalla Ragione, Laura Di Nicola, Marta Stuppia, Liborio Vitacolonna, Ester Beccari, Tommaso Ceccarini, Maria Rachele Nutrients Article Background: The incidence of eating disorders (EDs), serious mental and physical conditions characterized by a disturbance in eating or eating-related behaviors, has increased steadily. The present study aims to develop insights into the pathophysiology of EDs, spanning over biochemical, epigenetic, psychopathological, and clinical data. In particular, we focused our attention on the relationship between (i) DNA methylation profiles at promoter-associated CpG sites of the SCL6A4 gene, (ii) serum kynurenine/tryptophan levels and ratio (Kyn/Trp), and (iii) psychopathological traits in a cohort of ED patients. Among these, 45 patients were affected by restricting anorexia nervosa (AN0), 21 by purging AN (AN1), 21 by bulimia (BN), 31 by binge eating disorders (BED), 23 by unspecified feeding or eating disorders (UFED), and finally 14 by other specified eating disorders (OSFED) were compared to 34 healthy controls (CTRs). Results: Kyn level was higher in BED, UFED, and OSFED compared to CTRs (p ≤ 0.001). On the other hand, AN0, AN1, and BN patients showed significatively lower Kyn levels compared to the other three ED groups but were closed to CTRs. Trp was significantly higher in AN0, AN1, and BN in comparison to other ED groups. Moreover, AN1 and BN showed more relevant Trp levels than CTRs (p <0.001). BED patients showed a lower Trp as compared with CTRs (p ≤ 0.001). In addition, Kyn/Trp ratio was lower in the AN1 subtype but higher in BED, UFED, and OSFED patients than in CTRs (p ≤ 0.001). SCL6A4 DNA methylation level at CpG5 was lower in AN0 compared to BED (p = 0.021), and the CpG6 methylation was also significantly lower in AN0 in comparison to CTRs (p = 0.025). The mean methylation levels of the six CpGs analyzed were lower only in the AN0 subgroup compared to CTRs (p = 0.008). Relevant psychological trait EDI-3 subscales were correlated with biochemical and epigenetic data. Conclusions: These findings underline the complexity of psychological and pathophysiological components of EDs. MDPI 2023-01-13 /pmc/articles/PMC9866524/ /pubmed/36678277 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/nu15020406 Text en © 2023 by the authors. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
spellingShingle Article
Franzago, Marica
Orecchini, Elena
Porreca, Annamaria
Mondanelli, Giada
Orabona, Ciriana
Dalla Ragione, Laura
Di Nicola, Marta
Stuppia, Liborio
Vitacolonna, Ester
Beccari, Tommaso
Ceccarini, Maria Rachele
SLC6A4 DNA Methylation Levels and Serum Kynurenine/Tryptophan Ratio in Eating Disorders: A Possible Link with Psychopathological Traits?
title SLC6A4 DNA Methylation Levels and Serum Kynurenine/Tryptophan Ratio in Eating Disorders: A Possible Link with Psychopathological Traits?
title_full SLC6A4 DNA Methylation Levels and Serum Kynurenine/Tryptophan Ratio in Eating Disorders: A Possible Link with Psychopathological Traits?
title_fullStr SLC6A4 DNA Methylation Levels and Serum Kynurenine/Tryptophan Ratio in Eating Disorders: A Possible Link with Psychopathological Traits?
title_full_unstemmed SLC6A4 DNA Methylation Levels and Serum Kynurenine/Tryptophan Ratio in Eating Disorders: A Possible Link with Psychopathological Traits?
title_short SLC6A4 DNA Methylation Levels and Serum Kynurenine/Tryptophan Ratio in Eating Disorders: A Possible Link with Psychopathological Traits?
title_sort slc6a4 dna methylation levels and serum kynurenine/tryptophan ratio in eating disorders: a possible link with psychopathological traits?
topic Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9866524/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36678277
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/nu15020406
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