Inflammatory markers in late pregnancy in association with postpartum depression-A nested case-control study

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Perinatal Psychiatry
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Immune system adaptations during pregnancy are implicated in perinatal depression.
• Identifying predictive markers for postpartum depression (PPD) is crucial for early intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if late pregnancy plasma inflammation markers can predict postpartum depressive symptoms.
• To explore novel inflammation-associated markers and their potential role in PPD pathophysiology.

Main Methods:

• Analyzed plasma samples from 291 pregnant women (63 with PPD, 228 controls) using a 92-marker inflammation panel (multiplex proximity extension assay).
• Employed logistic regression, LASSO, and Elastic net analyses to identify predictive markers.
• Validated protein-level findings for STAM-BP and ST1A1 using gene methylation data from an external population.

Main Results:

• Forty inflammation markers were found at lower levels in late pregnancy among women who later developed PPD.
• STAM-BP (AMSH), AXIN-1, ADA, ST1A1, and IL-10 remained significant after Bonferroni correction.
• A summary inflammation variable was the second-best predictor of PPD, after personal history of depression.

Conclusions:

• Exploratory study reveals differences in late pregnancy inflammation markers between women with and without postpartum depressive symptoms.
• Individual markers are not sufficient for PPD risk assessment, but STAM-BP and the summary inflammation variable show promise for future combined predictive models.