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Review
. 2017 Feb 3;5(1):5.
doi: 10.3390/healthcare5010005.

The Role of Lipid Biomarkers in Major Depression

Amy Parekh  1 , Demelza Smeeth  2 , Yasmin Milner  3 , Sandrine Thure  4
Affiliations
Review

The Role of Lipid Biomarkers in Major Depression

Amy Parekh et al. Healthcare (Basel). .

Abstract

In the UK, the lifetime-documented prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD) is currently 10%. Despite its increasing prevalence and devastating impact on quality of life, the pathophysiological mechanisms underpinning MDD remain to be fully elucidated. Current theories of neurobiological components remain incomplete and protein-centric, rendering pharmacological treatment options suboptimal. In this review, we highlight the pivotal role of lipids in intra- and inter-neuronal functioning, emphasising the potential use of lipids as biomarkers for MDD. The latter has significant implications for improving our understanding of MDD at the cellular and circuit level. There is particular focus on cholesterol (high and low density lipoprotein), omega-3, and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids due to established evidence in the literature of a link between atherosclerotic disease and major depression. We argue that there is significant potential scope for the use of such peripheral biomarkers in the diagnosis, stratification and treatment of MDD.

Keywords: cholesterol; lipid biomarkers; major depressive disorder; polyunsaturated fatty acids.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Subgroups of PUFAs. There are many members of the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) family; the most relevant to this discussion are shown in the above diagram. Arachidonic acid (C20:4) is derived from linolenic acid/omega-6 (C18:2). Docosahexaenoic acid (C22) derives from α-linolenic acid/omega-3 (C18:3) via the precursor eicosapentaeonic acid (C20:5).
Figure 2
Figure 2
The role of lipids in major depression disorders (MDD). The various potential roles for lipids in the cellular pathophysiology underpinning MDD are shown in this diagram. The main findings when comparing MDD patient with controls is an altered lipid profile, most specifically that low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and omega-6 levels are raised, where high-density lipoproteins (HDL) and omega-3 levels are decreased. EPA: eicosapentaeonic acid; DHA: docosahexaenoic acid.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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