Upregulation of blood proBDNF and its receptors in major depression

In recent decades, the role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in depression has received intensive attention. However, the relationship between proBDNF and depression has not been clearly elucidated.

Forty drug-free women patients diagnosed with major depression and 50 healthy female controls were enrolled in our study. Peripheral blood was sampled from all the subjects. With the blood samples, we assessed the relationship between BDNF and major depression from following aspects: the levels of BDNF, proBDNF and their receptors in the sera and lymphocytes. The mRNA levels of these factors in lymphocytes were also examined. Furthermore, the correlations between each factor and the severity of major depression were tested.

It was found that: (a) the protein and serum levels of proBDNF, sortilin and p75NTR were higher in major depressive patients than in healthy controls while mature BDNF and TrkB levels were lower; (b) the BDNF, TrkB, sortilin and p75NTR mRNA levels changed in line with their protein levels; (c) The levels of mature BDNF and TrkB had negative correlations with the major depression severity, and the levels of proBDNF, p75NTR and sortilin were positively correlated with the scores of HRSD-21; (d) the ratio of proBDNF and mBDNF was imbalanced in major depressive patients.

The balance between the proBDNF/p75NTR/sortilin and mBDNF/TrkB signaling pathways appears dysregulated in major depression and both pathways should be considered as biomarkers for the major depression

More cases on both genders should be enrolled in our study. And further works on the mechanisms of how BDNF and its receptors are regulated in depression should also be carried out.