Jul 2026· International Journal of Drug Delivery Technology· Vol 16· 0 citations· 49 references
TL;DR
Severe depressive symptoms were associated with significantly reduced ferritin, vitamin B12, and serotonin levels, along with elevated TIBC, cortisol, CRP, and MDA levels (p < 0.05).
Abstract
Depressive mood disorders are highly prevalent among adult women and are influenced by nutritional,
inflammatory, and neuroendocrine factors. Biomarkers including ferritin, vitamin B12, serotonin, cortisol, Creactive protein (CRP), and malondialdehyde (MDA) are important for neurotransmitter production, stress
regulation, and brain function. This study investigated the relationship between micronutrient levels, oxidative stress
markers, and severity of depressive symptoms in adult females. A cross-sectional study was conducted during the
period between January 2022 and December 2024 on 125 women aged 18–45 years attending an outpatient clinic.
Depression severity was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) and Hamilton Depression Rating
Scale (HAM-D). Fasting blood samples were analyzed for serum ferritin, vitamin B12, total iron-binding capacity
(TIBC), serotonin, cortisol, CRP, and MDA using immunoassay methods. Participants were grouped according to
symptom severity. Statistical analyses included ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and logistic regression. Severe
depressive symptoms were associated with significantly reduced ferritin, vitamin B12, and serotonin levels, along
with elevated TIBC, cortisol, CRP, and MDA levels (p < 0.05). Ferritin and vitamin B12 showed negative
correlations with depression scores, whereas cortisol and inflammatory markers showed positive correlations.
Logistic regression identified ferritin, vitamin B12, TIBC, and cortisol as significant predictors of depression
severity. Depression severity is closely linked to micronutrient imbalance, oxidative stress, and neuroendocrine
dysfunction. Combined biomarker evaluation may aid diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring in women with
depressive disorders.
OBJECTIVES
Major depressive disorder (MDD) in adolescence is influenced by genetic, psychosocial, and biological factors. Nutritional deficits-particularly vitamin D, vitamin B12, folate, and iron-are linked to mood regulation, though inconsistently. This study investigated associations between nutritional biomarkers and depressive/anxiety symptoms in adolescents with MDD and tracked three-month changes.
METHODS
In this retrospective cohort, 125 adolescents with MDD and 125 healthy controls were identified from records between January 2024 and September 2025. MDD was confirmed with K-SADS-PL, and only patients not receiving ongoing antidepressant treatment during the baseline-to-follow-up interval were included. Symptoms (RCADS) and baseline biochemical markers (vitamin D, B12, folate, ferritin, iron indices, thyroid hormones) were obtained for both groups. For the MDD group, anonymized routine-care follow-up records obtained 75-105 days after baseline were also reviewed, whereas controls had baseline records only.
RESULTS
Compared with controls, adolescents with MDD had higher BMI percentile (p = .012) and lower vitamin D (median 15.0 vs. 18.0 ng/mL, p < .001) and folate (6.2 vs. 7.1 ng/mL, p < .001); both survived Bonferroni correction. Ferritin was lower at the unadjusted level (13.6 vs. 17.1 ng/mL, p = .019) but not after correction. Vitamin B12, iron, and hemoglobin did not differ. Over three months, vitamin D, B12, and folate showed modest increases that did not remain significant after correction, whereas RCADS depressive and anxiety scores declined markedly across all domains (all p < .001). In adjusted models, no biomarker independently predicted symptom severity, and biomarker changes were not consistently associated with symptom changes; only Δfolate showed a modest nominal association with improvement in the adjusted change model.
CONCLUSIONS
Adolescents with MDD showed lower vitamin D and folate than controls, but nutritional biomarkers did not independently predict symptom severity, and the three-month symptom improvement-occurring without antidepressants-was not explained by biomarker changes and likely reflects multiple factors including regression to the mean. Routine biochemical screening may be clinically useful, but causal claims are not warranted; larger controlled trials are needed.
H. Kabukçu, Makbule Esen Öksüzoğlu· BMC Pediatrics· 0 citations
High BMI correlates with more severe depressive symptoms and increased inflammatory status in adolescents with MDD, especially among females, suggesting that interventions targeting immune and metabolic pathways may offer additional therapeutic benefits.
Ding Yang, Jialu Jiang, Yuan Gao et al.· Journal of Affective Disorde...· 0 citations
Introduction: Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is an increasingly prevalent metabolic liver disorder associated with chronic low-grade inflammation. Altered iron metabolism, Vitamin D deficiency, and systemic inflammatory markers have been implicated in its pathogenesis; however, their relationship with disease severity remains incompletely understood.
Aim: To evaluate the association of serum ferritin, Vitamin D status, and C-Reactive Protein (CRP) with the presence and severity of NAFLD.
Materials and Methods: This hospital-based case-control study was conducted at the Department of Biochemistry, Sree Balaji Medical College and Hospital, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, from January 2023 to December 2023. A total of 200 participants were enrolled, including 100 NAFLD patients diagnosed by clinical, biochemical, and ultrasonographic criteria and 100 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. Serum ferritin, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, and CRP levels were estimated using standard laboratory methods. Data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26.0. Normality was assessed using the Shapiro-Wilk test. MannWhitney U test and Chi-square/Fisher’s-exact tests were used for group comparisons, while Spearman’s rank correlation was used to assess associations with NAFLD severity.
Results: The mean age of NAFLD patients was 32.27±3.99 years, and that of controls was 31.46±4.19 years, with equal gender distribution in both groups (50 males and 50 females). NAFLD patients had significantly higher median serum ferritin [183.0 (148.0-254.75) vs 145.0 (97.75-236.25) ng/mL; p=0.0001] and CRP levels [6.5 (5.0-9.5) vs 1.5 (0.8-2.0) mg/L; p<0.0001], and significantly lower Vitamin D levels [13.0 (8.57-17.0) vs 24.0 (22.0-30.5) ng/mL; p<0.0001] than controls. Vitamin D deficiency was present in 79% of NAFLD patients. Serum ferritin (r=−0.024, p=0.813) and Vitamin D (r=0.149, p=0.139) showed no significant correlation with NAFLD severity, whereas CRP demonstrated a significant positive correlation (r=0.604, p<0.001).
Conclusion: NAFLD is associated with elevated serum ferritin and CRP levels and reduced Vitamin D concentrations. While ferritin and Vitamin D were associated with the presence of NAFLD, CRP correlated significantly with disease severity, suggesting its potential utility as a marker of disease progression and inflammatory burden.
Unknown authors· Journal of Clinical and Diag...· 0 citations
Higher SIRI levels were associated with increased odds of depressive symptoms among emerging adults, and sleep duration played a modest suppressor role in this relationship, suggesting complex interactions between inflammation, sleep, and mental health warranting further investigation through prospective studies.
Yingying Zhang, Yunyun Zheng, Yuting Zhang et al.· International Journal of Psy...· 0 citations
Background Thyroid function and glycolipid metabolic alterations are often associated with major depressive disorder (MDD), yet their roles in suicide risk among adolescents with MDD remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels, glycolipid metabolism parameters, and their associations with suicidal ideation (SI) in adolescents with MDD. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted at one general hospital and one psychiatric hospital in Anhui Province, China. Socio-demographic data and laboratory parameters were collected from participants, and the patients’ depressive symptoms and SI severity were assessed using the 24-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-24) and the Positive and Negative Suicide Ideation Inventory (PANSI), respectively. TSH levels and glycolipid metabolism parameters were also measured. Results A total of 146 adolescents with MDD and 70 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled in this study. Compared with HCs, patients had lower fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels (P < 0.001). Logistic regression analyses showed that a worse relationship with family, a higher HAMD-24 total score, and higher TSH and FBG levels were independently associated with concurrent SI in adolescents with MDD (all P < 0.05). Furthermore, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that the combination of these four factors had a good discriminatory ability for SI, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.851. Conclusion In this cross-sectional study, TSH and FBG levels were associated with SI in adolescents with MDD. Nevertheless, whether these parameters can serve as clinically useful biomarkers requires further validation in larger prospective studies.
Jun Li, Yinghan Tian, Zhuang Yu et al.· Frontiers in Psychiatry· 0 citations
