2026· Indian Journal of Biochemistry & Biophysics· Vol 63, pp. 923-929· 0 citations
TL;DR
HS-CRP shows potential as an adjunct inflammatory marker in assessing depression and IL-1β demonstrated poor performance, while composite biomarker approach combined with clinical tools should enhance diagnostic and treatment strategies.
Abstract
Systemic inflammation is increasingly linked to Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), and its expression may vary across populations. This study evaluates serum high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) levels in MDD patients (n-40) and healthy controls (n=40) to understand the biological basis of depression within the unique ethnic and environmental context of Sikkim. Females were the majority in both MDD (67.5%) and control (70%) groups. Most participants had a normal BMI (MDD: 62.5%, Control: 67.5%), with few cases of obesity or underweight. Nepali ethnicity was predominant in both MDD: 80% and,Control: 77.5% followed by Bhutias and others however statistically insignificant. hs-CRP differed significantly between MDD (3335.7 pg/L) and controls (3164.7 pg/L) P< 0.05, though it did not vary by depression severity. hs-CRP showed fair diagnostic ability (AUC = 0.746, 95% CI: 0.638–0.854, P< 0.01; sensitivity 65%, specificity 77.5%), whereas IL-1β demonstrated poor performance. hs–CRP shows potential as an adjunct inflammatory marker in assessing depression. Future studies should explore composite biomarker approach combined with clinical tools to enhance diagnostic and treatment strategies.
Background: Inflammation is a critical factor in the development and progression of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and kidney disease. Accordingly, elevated levels of inflammatory markers, such as high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (HSCRP), have been reported in patients with hypertension.
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate serum HSCRP levels and albuminuria and to determine their correlation in patients with hypertension.
Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 300 participants, comprising 200 individuals with hypertension and 100 normotensive individuals, and was conducted at Delta State Central Hospital, Warri, between October 2022 and December 2023. An interviewer-administered structured questionnaire was used to collect demographic and clinical data, which were analysed using SPSS version 23.
Results: Mean HSCRP levels were 4.23 ± 3.31 mg/L in the hypertensive group and 1.50 ± 1.49 mg/L in the control group; the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001). Mean urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) values were 1.02 ± 1.42 mg/mmol in the hypertensive group and 0.28 ± 0.16 mg/mmol in the control group; this difference was also statistically significant (p < 0.001). A statistically significant weak positive correlation was observed between HSCRP and UACR in the hypertensive group (r = 0.140, p = 0.048).
Conclusion: Serum HSCRP and UACR levels were significantly higher in patients with hypertension than in controls. HSCRP and UACR showed a weak positive correlation in the hypertensive group.
A. Eguvbe, E. Umukoro, Pedro Ejomafuvwe Amrevwodjemu et al.· Asian Journal of Medicine an...· 0 citations
The research showed that the GM and their predicted metabolic pathways in patients with MDD were closely related to cognitive function and peripheral blood indicators, and that differences in these factors may manifest as oxidative stress and inflammation.
He-hua Li, Baoyuan Zhu, Yuanyuan Huang et al.· Frontiers in Microbiology· 0 citations
BACKGROUND
High-sensitivity CRP (hsCRP) is the most widely used biomarker to operationalize the concept of "inflammatory depression" and has been proposed to define biologically meaningful subgroups of major depressive disorder. However, CRP is a nonspecific acute-phase reactant, and whether CRP-based stratification captures the cellular immune dysregulation increasingly implicated in active major depressive episodes (MDE) remains unclear.
METHODS
We conducted a secondary analysis of a deeply immunophenotyped cohort including patients with active MDE and healthy controls (HC). Participants were stratified by high-sensitivity CRP (hsCRP) level (<3VS. ≥ 3 mg/L). Adaptive and innate immune cell profiles were compared between diagnostic groups within each hsCRP stratum, focusing on T-cell activation, inhibitory checkpoint expression, and monocyte subset distributions.
RESULTS
Elevated hsCRP (≥3 mg/L) was observed in both HC and MDE participants and was not associated with depressive symptom severity. Across hsCRP strata, patients with MDE exhibited marked alterations in adaptive immunity, including increased T-cell activation (CD69 expression) and inhibitory checkpoint signaling (PD 1 and LAG-3), particularly within the CD8+ compartment. MDE was also associated with a characteristic redistribution of circulating monocyte subsets. These cellular immune alterations were evident even among individuals with hsCRP levels within the conventionally non-inflammatory range, whereas HC with elevated hsCRP did not display an MDE-like immune phenotype.
CONCLUSIONS
In this preliminary study (MDE: n = 39; HC: n = 41), hsCRP stratification did not capture the cellular immune dysregulation associated with an active MDE. While hsCRP may reflect a broader systemic inflammatory or metabolic burden, cellular immune signatures appear more closely linked to depressive pathophysiology. These findings are preliminary and require replication in larger cohorts, but support moving, beyond hsCRP alone toward integrated immune signatures - combining cellular immunophenotyping with myeloid-derived mediators - to define immune-related subtypes of depression.
F. Daray, L. Grendas, L. Chiapella et al.· Progress in Neuro-psychophar...· 0 citations
Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) has been
increasingly recognized as a systemic disorder involving
neuroimmune and biochemical dysregulation. Circulating neurotrophic factors, particularly nerve growth factor
(NGF), may serve as potential laboratory biomarkers reflecting neurobiological alterations.
Methods: This case–control study enrolled 47 drug-naïve
patients with first-episode MDD and 40 age- and sexmatched healthy controls. Serum NGF concentrations
were quantified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The NGF Ala273Val (rs6330) polymorphism
was genotyped via polymerase chain reaction and direct
sequencing. Statistical analyses included group comparisons, correlation analysis, and genotype–phenotype association evaluation.
Results: Serum NGF levels were significantly elevated
in patients with MDD compared with controls (36.81 ±
7.11 vs. 29.74 ± 5.69 pg/mL, P < 0.001). However, no
significant correlation was observed between NGF concentrations and HAMD-17 scores (r = 0.12, P = 0.42).
Genotype and allele distributions of the NGF Ala273Val
polymorphism did not differ significantly between groups
(P > 0.05), and no genotype-dependent differences in
serum NGF levels were detected. Conclusion: Circulating NGF is significantly altered in
first-episode MDD, supporting its role as a neuroimmunerelated biochemical marker associated with disease
presence rather than symptom severity. The NGF
Ala273Val polymorphism does not appear to influence
susceptibility or peripheral NGF expression. These
findings highlight the potential utility of serum NGF as a
laboratory biomarker in the biochemical characterization
of MDD.
Lian Liu, P. Xiong, Yong Zeng· Journal of Medical Biochemis...· 0 citations
BACKGROUND
Depression is a common mental health issue among older adults, yet few studies have explored whether metabolic biomarkers predicting its onset exist. The CRP-TyG index (CTI), combining C-reactive protein and the triglyceride-glucose index, may more effectively capture inflammatory-metabolic dysregulation than either marker alone. However, prospective evidence on the relationship between CTI and depression in aging populations is limited.
METHODS
We analyzed data from 2,813 depression-free participants aged ≥ 50 years in ELSA, with follow-up through Wave 8. Baseline CTI was assessed from fasting blood biomarkers, and depressive symptoms were evaluated using the CES-D-8 scale. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs). To assess the potential influence of missing data, multiple-imputation analyses were additionally performed as sensitivity analyses.
RESULTS
During follow-up, 136 participants developed incident depressive symptoms. After full adjustment including BMI, each 1-SD increase in CTI was associated with a higher risk of incident depressive symptoms (HR = 1.253; 95% CI: 1.002-1.479; p = 0.035). Multiple-imputation sensitivity analyses yielded directionally consistent results.
CONCLUSION
In this nationally representative cohort of adults aged 50 years and older in England, higher baseline CTI was prospectively associated with an increased risk of incident depressive symptoms. CTI may serve as a scalable biomarker for identifying older adults at elevated risk of depressive symptoms.
Mixue Guo, Mengyuan Cai, Huqiang Dong et al.· Annals of General Psychiatry· 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
