Evidence for Additionally Increased Apoptosis in the Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells of Major Depressive Patients With a High Risk for Suicide Publisher Pubmed



Amidfar M^{1, 2} ; Kim YK³ ; Scaini G⁴ ; Quevedo J^{4, 5, 6, 7}
Source: American Journal of Medical Genetics# Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics Published:2018

Abstract

Several studies have suggested a pathophysiological role of blood cell apoptosis in major depressive disorder (MDD). The aim of this study was to evaluate mRNA expression levels of Bcl-2, Bax, and Fas in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of MDD patients with a high risk for suicide relative to those without a high risk for suicide as well as healthy subjects. The mRNA expression of Bcl-2, Bax, and Fas as well as the Bcl-2/Bax ratio was examined in the PBMCs of 30 MDD patients with a high risk for suicide, 30 MDD patients without a high risk for suicide, and 30 healthy controls. The mRNA expression of target genes was measured using real-time quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). FAS mRNA expression was significantly increased, and Bcl-2 mRNA expression and the Bcl-2/Bax expression ratio were significantly decreased, in the PBMCs of MDD patients with or without a high risk for suicide attempts compared to healthy controls (p <.001). However, Bax mRNA expression was significantly increased only in MDD patients with a high risk for suicide. Moreover, MDD patients with a high risk for suicide had increased Bax and FAS mRNA expression and decreased Bcl-2 and Bcl-2/Bax ratio when compared to patients without risk for suicide (p <.001). Our findings may support the role of both internal and external apoptotic pathways in the interplay between the immune system and depressive symptoms, especially in patients with a high risk for suicide. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.