Discovery and validation of a protein biomarker for the diagnosis and classification of disease severity of major depressive disorder

Abstract

Background and aimsDiagnosis and classification of disease severity of major depressive disorder (MDD) are determined through a doctor’s consultation and questionnaire-based rating scale. This study aimed to identify and validate a serum protein biomarker for diagnosing and classifying the disease severity of MDD. Materials and methodsBased on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) score, participants were divided into control, mild, moderate, and severe groups. Samples prepared from collected sera were analyzed using non-targeted qualitative and targeted quantitative tools to identify potential biomarkers. ResultsFour proteins were selected as biomarker candidates, which showed statistically significant consistent tendencies depending on MDD severity. Among them, tetranectin was the only validated protein in the quantitative analysis that showed the same decreasing tendency as that in the qualitative analysis. Furthermore, tetranectin showed fair discrimination performance between the control and MDD group. ConclusionsTetranectin may be a novel potential biomarker for diagnosing and classifying the severity of MDD, though further verification and validation studies of its efficacy are needed