Association between inflammatory cytokines and symptoms of major depressive disorder in adults

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the association between inflammatory cytokines and major depressive disorder. METHODS: Plasma biomarkers were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Statistical analysis of baseline biomarkers in the major depression disorder (MDD) group and healthy controls (HC) group, and differences in biomarkers before and after treatment. Spearman analysis was performed to correlate baseline and after treatment MDD biomarkers with the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17) total scores. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves were analyzed for the effect of biomarkers on MDD and HC classification and diagnosis. RESULTS: Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels were significantly higher in the MDD group than in the HC group, while high mobility group protein 1 (HMGB1) levels were significantly lower in the MDD group. The AUCs for HMGB1, TNF-α, and IL-6 were 0.375, 0.733, and 0.783, respectively, according to the ROC curves. MDD patients with brain-derived neurotrophic factor precursor (proBDNF) levels were positively correlated with total HAMD-17 scores. The levels of proBDNF levels were positively correlated with the total HAMD-17 score in male MDD patients, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and interleukin 18 (IL-18) levels were negatively correlated with the total HAMD-17 score in female MDD patients. CONCLUSION: Inflammatory cytokines are associated with the severity of MDD, and TNF-α and IL-6 have the potential as objective biomarkers to aid in the diagnosis of MDD.