Abstract
Background: Stress predisposes to major depression, and hyperactivity of the stress-activated
hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis occurs in this disease. Thymopentin, an
active fragment of thymopoietin (TP), reduces endocrine and behavioral responses to
experimental stress, possibly by lowering plasma TP (pTP) levels.
Methods: Plasma TP and the HPA hormones arginine vasopressin (pAVP), adrenocorticotropic
hormone (pACTH), and plasma cortisol (pCORT) were measured in 21 untreated depressed
patients and 21 matched control subjects. Clinical responses to antidepressants were
evaluated in 17 depressed patients.
Results: Plasma TP was elevated in depression (p < .002), with in 8 out of 21 (38%) depressed patients having significant elevations
(p < .03). For 17 patients whose antidepressant responses were evaluated, nonresponsiveness
occurred in 6 out of 7 (86%) with elevated pTP (>7.5 pg/mL) versus 3 out of 10 (30%)
with normal pTP (p < .05).
Conclusions: The significant association of elevated pTP with nonresponsiveness to
antidepressant drugs may signify a distinct pathogenesis for the depression of patients
with elevated pTP.
Keywords
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to Biological PsychiatryAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
- Pharmacokinetics and toxokinetics of an orally active tripeptide, IRI-695, in animals.Biopharm Drug Dispos. 1996; 17: 25-41
- Nuclear envelope remodeling during rat spermatogenesis.J Cell Sci. 1998; 111: 2227-2234
- The characterization and localization of the mouse thymopoietin/lamina-associated polypeptide 2 gene and its alternatively spliced products.Genome Res. 1996; 6: 361-370
- Urinary free cortisol excretion in depression.Psychol Med. 1976; 6: 43-50
- Association of fluoxetine treatment with reductions in CSF concentrations of corticotropin-releasing hormone and arginine vasopressin in patients with major depression.Am J Psychiatry. 1993; 150: 656-657
- Diurnal activity and pulsatility of hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal system in male depressed patients and healthy controls.J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1997; 82: 234-238
- Definition and epidemiology of treatment-resistant depression.Psychiatr Clin North Am. 1996; 19: 179-200
- Lithium and tricyclic augmentation of fluoxetine treatment for resistant major depression.Am J Psychiatry. 1994; 151: 1372-1374
Goldstein G, Culler MD, inventors; Thymon, L.L.C., assignee (1997, January 14): Method of measuring thymopoietin proteins in plasma and serum including acidification of the plasma and serum. US patent 5,593,842.
- A synthetic pentapeptide with biological activity characteristic of the thymic hormone thymopoietin.Science. 1979; 204: 1309-1310
- Three distinct human thymopoietins are derived from alternatively spliced mRNAs.Proc Nat Acad Sci U S A. 1994; 91: 6283-6287
- Structure and mapping of the human thymopoietin (TMPO) gene and relationship of TMPO beta to rat lamina-associated polypeptide 2.Genomics. 1995; 28: 198-205
- I. Endocrine factors in the pathology of mental disorders. Persistent changes in corticotropin-releasing factor systems due to early life stress.Psychopharmacol Bull. 1997; 33: 185-192
- Treatment of chronic depression with sertraline or imipramine.Psychopharmacol Bull. 1995; 31: 205-212
- Lifetime and 12-month prevalence of DSM-III-R psychiatric disorders in the United States.Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1994; 51: 8-19
- Thymopentin antagonizes stress-induced changes of GABA/benzodiazepine receptor complex.Regul Pept. 1990; 27: 355-365
- The role of corticotropin-releasing factor in behavioral responses to stress.Ciba Found Symp. 1993; 172: 277-289
- The global burden of disease 1990–2020.Nat Med. 1998; 4: 1241-1243
- IRI-514, a synthetic peptide analogue of thymopentin, reduces the behavioral response to social stress in rats.Physiol Behav. 1996; 60: 397-401
- Rapid radioimmunoassay for corticotropin in unextracted human plasma.Clin Chem. 1984; 30: 259-265
- The role of corticotropin-releasing factor in the pathology of affective and anxiety disorder.Ciba Found Symp. 1993; 172: 296-316
- Analysis of the role of angiotensin II in mediation of adrenocorticotropin secretion.Endocrinology. 1988; 122: 538-545
- Spontaneous and stimulated adrenocorticotropin and vasopressin pusatile secretion in the pituitary venous effluent of the horse.Endocrinology. 1986; 118: 1410-1416
- Plasma levels of arginine vasopressin elevated in patients with major depression.Neuropsychopharmacology. 1997; 17: 284-292
- Effect of desipramine on cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of corticotropin-releasing factor in human subjects.Psychiatry Res. 1993; 46: 1-8
- On the role of thymopoietins in proliferation. Immunochemical evidence for new members of the thymopoietin family.Biol Chem. 1999; 380: 653-660
- Pulsatile release of arginine vasopressin (AVP) and its effect on response to desmopressin in enuresis.Scand J Urol Nephrol Suppl. 1994; 163: 93-101
Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
January 3,
2000
Received in revised form:
December 21,
1999
Received:
August 4,
1999
Identification
Copyright
© 2000 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
