Abstract # 1803 Mitochondrial respiration in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of individuals with borderline personality disorder

Abstract

Individuals with Borderline personality disorder (BPD) are characterised by instability in relationships, self-image, affects, and show an increased risk for somatic disorders. The resulting high burden is associated with chronic stress conditions negatively influencing the immune system. Consequences of BPD on cellular immunity are hardly explored. Here, we investigated mitochondrial functioning and intracellular quantity of mitochondria in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from females with BPD compared to age- and gender-matched healthy controls. Severity of BPD symptoms was assessed with the Borderline Symptom List (BSL) and depressive symptoms with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The respiratory activity was assessed in an O2k oxygraph. Citrate synthase activity assay controlled the intracellular amount of mitochondria. Individuals with BPD showed neither alterations of mitochondrial activity nor in the amount of mitochondria compared to controls. However, within the BPD group ATP turnover-related oxygen consumption correlated with symptom severity. Depressive symptoms correlated with residual oxygen consumption (ROX), the amount of oxygen consumed independently from ATP production. Chronic stress associated with BPD negatively affects the homeostasis of immune cells, which must be counteracted by a higher production of ATP. The increase of ROX supports the idea of a dose-dependent production of reactive oxygen species. Interestingly, depressive symptoms seem to have a stronger effect than BPD itself. This aspect will be addressed in future research.