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The aims of the present study were to examine i) serum zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) in
treatment resistant depression (TRD); ii) the effects of subchronic antidepressant
therapy on these trace elements; and iii) the relationships between serum Zn and Cu
and immune/inflammatory markers. Serum Zn was significantly lower in TRD than in normal
controls. There was a significant inverse correlation between baseline serum Zn and
staging of depression based on severity of prior treatment resistance. There were
no significant effects of antidepressive treatment on serum Zn, whereas serum Cu was
significantly reduced. There were highly significant correlations between serum Zn
and the CD4+/CD8+ T-cell ratio (negative), and total serum protein, serum albumin, and transferrin
(all positive). The results suggest that lower serum Zn is a marker of TRD and of
the immune/inflammatory response in depression. It is suggested that treatment resistance
may bear a relationship with the immune/inflammatory alterations in major depression.
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Article Info
Publication History
Received in revised form:
July 26,
1996
Received:
December 29,
1995
Footnotes
The research reported was supported in part by the National Funds for Scientific Research, Belgium (NFWO) and the Clinical Research Center Mental Health, (CRC-MH), Antwerp, Belgium; the Staglin Investigator Award to Dr. M. Maes; and USPHS MH 41684, GCRC MO1RR00080, and grants from the Elisabeth Severance Prentiss and John Pascal Sawyer Foundations.
Identification
Copyright
© 1997 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc.
