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. 2022 Mar;30(3):332-337.
doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2021.07.012. Epub 2021 Jul 29.

Increased Levels of Circulating Cell-Free mtDNA in the Plasma of Subjects With Late-Life Depression and Frailty: A Preliminary Study

Emi Ampo  1 , Ana Paula Mendes-Silva  2 , Vanessa Goncalves  2 , Jenna M Bartley  3 , George A Kuchel  3 , Breno S Diniz  4
Affiliations

Increased Levels of Circulating Cell-Free mtDNA in the Plasma of Subjects With Late-Life Depression and Frailty: A Preliminary Study

Emi Ampo et al. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2022 Mar.

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the circulating cell-free mitochondrial DNA (ccf-mtDNA) levels, a marker of cellular stress and damage, in older adults with late-life depression (LLD) and frailty. We hypothesize that individuals with both frailty and LLD will have higher ccf-mtDNA levels than individuals with either condition in isolation.

Methods: Fifty-three older adults (Never Depressed+Robust (reference group, n = 16), LLD+Robust (n = 9), Never Depressed+Prefrail/Frail (n = 5), and LLD+Prefrail/Frail (n = 23)) were included in the study. DNA was extracted from EDTA plasma samples, and ccf-mtDNA was quantified by RT-PCR.

Results: We found a statistically significant difference in the levels of ccf-mtDNA across groups (F(3,49) = 3.07, p = 0.036), with individuals in the LLD+Prefrail/Frail group showing the highest levels of ccf-mtDNA.

Conclusion: The coexistence of LLD and frailty is associated with increased markers of cellular damage and stress (i.e., ccf-mtDNA). Our results suggest that these conditions may share cellular stress and mitochondrial dysfunction phenomena as a common biological mechanism, offering potential future opportunities for geroscience-guided interventions for these conditions.

Keywords: Late-life depression; aging; cellular stress; circulating cell-free mitochondrial DNA; frailty; mitochondria dysfunction.

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Conflict of interest statement

Statement of conflict of interest

All authors do not report any conflict of interest related to this manuscript.

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