Evidence for additionally increased apoptosis in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of major depressive patients with a high risk for suicide

Meysam Amidfar, Yong Ku Kim, Giselli Scaini, João Quevedo

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    12 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Several studies have suggested a pathophysiological role of blood cell apoptosis in major depressive disorder (MDD). The aim of this study was to evaluate mRNA expression levels of Bcl-2, Bax, and Fas in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of MDD patients with a high risk for suicide relative to those without a high risk for suicide as well as healthy subjects. The mRNA expression of Bcl-2, Bax, and Fas as well as the Bcl-2/Bax ratio was examined in the PBMCs of 30 MDD patients with a high risk for suicide, 30 MDD patients without a high risk for suicide, and 30 healthy controls. The mRNA expression of target genes was measured using real-time quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). FAS mRNA expression was significantly increased, and Bcl-2 mRNA expression and the Bcl-2/Bax expression ratio were significantly decreased, in the PBMCs of MDD patients with or without a high risk for suicide attempts compared to healthy controls (p <.001). However, Bax mRNA expression was significantly increased only in MDD patients with a high risk for suicide. Moreover, MDD patients with a high risk for suicide had increased Bax and FAS mRNA expression and decreased Bcl-2 and Bcl-2/Bax ratio when compared to patients without risk for suicide (p <.001). Our findings may support the role of both internal and external apoptotic pathways in the interplay between the immune system and depressive symptoms, especially in patients with a high risk for suicide.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)388-396
    Number of pages9
    JournalAmerican Journal of Medical Genetics, Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics
    Volume177
    Issue number4
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2018 Jun

    Bibliographical note

    Publisher Copyright:
    © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

    Keywords

    • PBMCs
    • apoptosis
    • major depressive disorder
    • suicide

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Genetics(clinical)
    • Psychiatry and Mental health
    • Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

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