Abstract
The growing body of evidence suggests that magnesium levels can serve as a marker of major depressive disorder (MDD), but findings from clinical trials remain inconclusive. The aim of the presented study was to determine the magnesium concentration in serum of patients with MDD (in the active stage of the disease or in remission) and to analyze the role of magnesium levels as apotential marker of the disease. Sixty-nine patients with current depressive episode, 45 patients in remission and 50 healthy volunteers were enrolled into the case-control study. The magnesium concentration was measured by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). The mean serum magnesium concentration of patients in the depressed phase was significantly higher, compared to the control group. Moreover, magnesium levels of patients in the remission were not significantly different from the concentrations recorded in the healthy volunteers. There was also a positive correlation between the magnesium levels and the severity of depression measured by the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HDRS) and the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). The obtained results may suggest a role of magnesium as a state marker reflecting the pathophysiological changes underlying MDD and accompanying severe depressive episodes.
Highlights
The biomarkers are defined as biological parameters that are either the objectively measurable, fixed and specific feature of the disease, which occurs invariably, regardless of whether it is an acute phase of the disease, a remission period, or changing depending on the stage of the disease and reflecting the severity of the symptoms and the mechanisms [1, 2]
114 patients (86 women and 28 men) who met the DSM-IV-TR criteria for recurrent major depressive disorder (MDD) (69 patient were in a depressive episode and 45 were in a remission) were enrolled into the De-Me-Ter study
Among the recruited group 63 participants were treated with Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI), 34 of them with SerotoninNorepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRI), 15 patients with tricyclic antidepressants (TCA), and 5 patients were treated with mirtazapine
Summary
The biomarkers are defined as biological parameters that are either the objectively measurable, fixed and specific feature of the disease, which occurs invariably, regardless of whether it is an acute phase of the disease, a remission period (a trait marker), or changing depending on the stage of the disease and reflecting the severity of the symptoms and the mechanisms (a state marker) [1, 2]. Biomarker should characterize with a high level of sensitivity and specificity (preferably above 80%) They should be inexpensive, and with minimal invasiveness during collecting the material for analysis, to be considered as diagnostically useful in clinical practice [2]. Such biological markers could indicate an increased risk of the depressive episode (or its relapse), be a measure of response to treatment, or indicate the risk of the drug resistance [2, 3]. The magnesium ions can modulate the activity of other neurotransmission systems, including serotonergic, noradrenergic and dopaminergic [1, 13,14,15]
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