(534.11) Biomolecular Assessment and Assay of Kisspeptin, Oxytocin and Melatonin in Female Depressed Patients on Antidepressant Therapy: A Comparative Study

Poster Board Number: B42

Ndudi Oseyemwen (Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital), Loretta Iniaghe (University of Benin), Enitome Bafor (University of Benin)

Depression, a common psychiatric disorder with a prevalence of 4.4%, a leading cause of disability and the fourth highest contributor to the global burden of diseases remains underdiagnosed. Biomarkers have been suggested to enable a better understanding of the variable responses to therapy observed in depression. Kisspeptin, oxytocin and melatonin have been implicated in the etiology of anxiety and neuropsychiatric disorders such as seasonal affective depression. This study aimed to compare the differences in the serum levels of oxytocin, melatonin, kisspeptin and their messenger RNAs between antidepressant naïve females (control group) and those who had received at least a four-week course of antidepressant therapy (test group). The mean serum levels of oxytocin, melatonin and kisspeptin among the test subjects was were 3.18 ±.77 pg/mL, 41.8 ± 2.53 pg/mL, and 291.56 ±106.11 nmol/L, respectively; and 3.14 ±.8.1 pg/mL, 42.06 ±3.18 pg/mL, and 268.89 ± 98.92 nmol/L, respectively for the control group. The total mRNA with the test group was an average of 17.5 ± 18.64), while for the control group it was 11.5 ± 18.41). There were slight correlations between the clinical symptoms of the patients and their mRNA levels but no significant changes in the total mRNA levels of oxytocin and kisspeptin in individuals on antidepressant therapy. There was also no significant relationships in the mRNAs and the serum levels of oxytocin, melatonin and kisspeptin between the test and control groups. Results from this study suggest that kisspeptin, oxytocin and melatonin may not be suitable biomarker for depression but provides a platform for further research.

No honorarium received



Oxyocin, melatonin aand kiss-1 mRNA transcript levels among Test and Control Samples