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. 2024 Dec 20;25(24):13663.
doi: 10.3390/ijms252413663.

Evaluating Apelin as a Potential Biomarker in Major Depressive Disorder: Its Correlation with Clinical Symptomatology

Enkhmurun Chibaatar  1 , Rintarou Fujii  2 , Atsuko Ikenouchi  1 , Naomichi Okamoto  1 , Tomoya Natsuyama  1 , Gaku Hayasaki  1 , Takahiro Shinkai  1 , Reiji Yoshimura  1
Affiliations

Evaluating Apelin as a Potential Biomarker in Major Depressive Disorder: Its Correlation with Clinical Symptomatology

Enkhmurun Chibaatar et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

To date, only a limited number of studies have investigated the potential effects of apelin on mood regulation and emotional behavior. Therefore, this study investigated apelin's role in major depressive disorder (MDD) by comparing the serum and plasma apelin concentrations between 30 patients with MDD and 30 healthy controls (HCs), and the correlated serum and plasma apelin levels and the severity of depressive symptoms using the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). Blood samples were collected following 12 h of fasting, and the apelin levels were measured using an ELISA kit. The serum apelin concentrations showed no significant difference between the MDD and HC groups, while the plasma apelin levels were significantly lower in the MDD group (p = 0.002). Among the patients with MDD, a positive moderate correlation was observed between the total MADRS scores and plasma apelin levels (r = 0.439), with statistical significance (p < 0.05). Additionally, significant positive correlations (p < 0.05) were found between both the serum and plasma apelin levels and the MADRS subscales 5 (reduced appetite) and 6 (concentration difficulties). These preliminary findings, although not definitive, suggest that apelin profiles may help to identify distinct subgroups within MDD patients, warranting further investigation into the different apelin isoforms and their associations in different populations of MDD patients.

Keywords: MADRS; major depressive disorder; peripheral biomarker; plasma apelin; serum apelin.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Apelin level differences in serum and plasma between HCs and patients with MDD. Abbreviations: HCs, healthy controls; MDD, patients with major depressive disorder. ** Results are considered statistically significant at p < 0.05 level.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Correlation between apelin levels and MADRS score (n = 30 subjects). A chord diagram illustrating the partial correlations among the serum and plasma apelin concentrations, the total MADRS score, and the 10 individual MADRS items. Each segment of the circle is labeled with the corresponding variable name, providing clarity on the data represented. Colored lines connect the segments, with the color gradient indicating the strength and direction of the correlations.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Correlation between apelin levels and MADRS items 5 and 6 (n = 30). Partial correlations between apelin concentration in both plasma and serum and Montgomery–Åsberg Depression Rating Scale items 5 and 6. Bubble size represents MADRS score of individual patients with MDD, and gradient color of bubble represents apelin concentration in both serum and plasma.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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