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Acylcarnitines are associated with lower depressive symptomatology in a mainland puerto rican cohort

  • 0Department of Public Health, University of Massachusetts Lowell, 61 Wilder Street, Suite 540-K, Lowell, MA, 01854, USA. natalia_palacios@uml.edu.
Metabolomics : Official Journal of the Metabolomic Society +

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July 27, 2024

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July 27, 2024

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Higher levels of acylcarnitines were linked to fewer depressive symptoms in US mainland Puerto Ricans. This untargeted metabolomics study provides new insights into the role of acylcarnitines in depression.

Area Of Science

  • Metabolomics
  • Neuroscience
  • Public Health

Background

  • Recent research suggests a link between acetyl-L-carnitine and depression.
  • No prior untargeted metabolomics studies have explored this association in US mainland Puerto Ricans.

Purpose Of The Study

  • To investigate the relationship between plasma metabolites and depressive symptomatology in US mainland Puerto Ricans.
  • To identify specific metabolite modules associated with depression using untargeted metabolomics.

Main Methods

  • Utilized untargeted metabolomic profiling on plasma samples from 736 participants in the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study.
  • Employed Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) to identify metabolite modules.
  • Assessed depressive symptomatology using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale.

Main Results

  • 621 annotated metabolites were identified and organized into eight distinct modules.
  • The acylcarnitine metabolite module showed a significant inverse association with depressive symptomatology (β = -27.7, p = 0.043).
  • Several key metabolites within the acylcarnitine module were significantly associated with depressive symptoms after adjusting for multiple comparisons.

Conclusions

  • Acylcarnitines, as a collective metabolite module, are inversely associated with depressive symptomatology in older US mainland Puerto Rican adults.
  • This study highlights the potential role of acylcarnitines in the mental health of this specific population.
  • Untargeted metabolomics offers a valuable approach for discovering novel biomarkers related to depression.

Keywords:

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