Abstract
BackgroundOxidative stress and chronic inflammatory states triggered by a single‐nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in superoxide dismutase manganese‐dependent gene (Val16Ala‐SOD2) have been associated with the risk of developing several chronic, nontransmissible diseases. However, it is still not clear whether the VV‐SOD2 genotype that causes higher basal superoxide anion levels has any impact on the risk for depression and self‐reported psychological stress in elderly people.MethodsIn the present study, we tested this hypothesis using a case‐control study where depression was detected using the Geriatric Depression Scale‐15 (GDS‐15). A total of 612 Brazilian free‐living elderly subjects with a mean age of 67.1 ± 7.1 years old (number of controls, C = 497, and depressive individuals, D = 115) were included in this study. All participants had similar social, health, and lifestyle variables, with the exception of polypharmacy (≥5 medicines daily intake), which was higher in the D group, compared to C subjects.ResultsOur results showed that the VV‐SOD2 genotype significantly increased the risk for depression and psychological stress in the elderly subjects, independently of sex/gender, age, and other prior diseases and health indicators (depression risk = 1.842, 1.109–3.061 95% CI, p = .018). VV‐subjects also had a higher daily intake of antidepressants, anxiolytics, and anti‐inflammatory drugs than A‐allele subjects.ConclusionOur findings support the hypothesis that genetically induced oxidative superoxide‐hydrogen peroxide imbalance may be involved in an increased risk for developing depression and psychological stress in free‐living elderly people without other chronic nontransmissible diseases.
Highlights
Depression and psychological stress are highly prevalent in contemporary societies, mainly in elderly people (Demyttenaere et al, 2009; Kok & Reynolds, 2017; Niraula, Sheridan, & Godbout, 2017)
Previous investigations have suggested that oxi-inflammatory states triggered by depression and/or chronic psychological stress appear to be associated with the elevation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) (Lopresti, Maker, Hood, & Drummond, 2014), including superoxide anion levels produced by NADPH oxidase activation or some impairment in superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzymes (Seo et al, 2012; Uchihara, Tanaka, Asano, Tamura, & Mizushima, 2016; Xie et al, 2017)
Considering that oxidative stress and chronic inflammation are two processes that increase during the aging process (Picca et al, 2018), the present study postulated that the risk of both depression and psychological stress in elderly people may be influenced by superoxide-hydrogen peroxide imbalance triggered by the Val16Ala-SOD2 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)
Summary
Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul (FAPERGS); Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Ensino Superior (Capes); Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq); CNPq, Grant/Award Number: 302661/2016-6 and 400816/2016-4
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