Circulating endothelial progenitor cells and depression: a possible novel link between heart and soul

• Published in: Molecular psychiatry Vol. 14; no. 5; pp. 523 - 531
• Main Authors: Dome, P, Teleki, Z, Rihmer, Z, Peter, L, Dobos, J, Kenessey, I, Tovari, J, Timar, J, Paku, S, Kovacs, G, Dome, B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01-05-2009; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: AC133 Antigen; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Analysis of Variance; Antigens, CD - genetics; Antigens, CD - metabolism; Antigens, CD34 - genetics; Antigens, CD34 - metabolism; Behavioral Sciences; Biological and medical sciences; Biological Psychology; Bone marrow cells; C-reactive protein; C-Reactive Protein - metabolism; Cardiovascular diseases; CD34 antigen; Demographic aspects; Depression; Depression, Mental; Depressive Disorder, Major - blood; Development and progression; Endothelial Cells - metabolism; Endothelial Cells - pathology; Female; Flow cytometry; Flow Cytometry - methods; Glycoproteins - genetics; Glycoproteins - metabolism; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mental depression; Middle Aged; Mood disorders; Mortality; mRNA; Neurosciences; original-article; Peptides - genetics; Peptides - metabolism; Peripheral blood; Pharmacotherapy; Phenotypes; Physiological aspects; Plasma levels; Polymerase chain reaction; Progenitor cells; Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Risk factors; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; Severity of Illness Index; Statistics as Topic; Stem cells; Stem Cells - metabolism; Stem Cells - pathology; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - blood; Tumor necrosis factor-TNF; Tumor necrosis factor-α; Vascular endothelial growth factor; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A - blood; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2 - genetics; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2 - metabolism; Vascular endothelial growth factor receptors; United States; Hungary; cardiovascular diseases; depression; postnatal vasculogenesis; mood disorders; endothelial progenitor cells; Heart; Mood disorder; Endothelial cell; Precursor cell; Depression; Cardiovascular disease; Circulatory system; Progenitor cell
• ISSN: 1359-4184; 1476-5578
• DOI: 10.1038/sj.mp.4002138

Although depression is known to be an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disorders, the mechanisms behind this connection are not well understood. However, the reduction in the number of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in patients with cardiovascular risk factors has led us to hypothesize that depression influences the number of EPCs. EPCs labeled with CD34, CD133 and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR2) antibodies were counted by flow cytometry in the peripheral blood (PB) of 33 patients with a current episode of major depression and of 16 control subjects. Mature (CD34+/VEGFR2+) and immature (CD133+/VEGFR2+) EPC counts were decreased in patients (vs controls;
P
<0.01 for both comparisons), and there was a significant inverse relationship between EPC levels and the severity of depressive symptoms (
P
<0.01 for both EPC phenotypes). Additionally, we assayed the plasma levels of VEGF, C-reactive protein (CRP) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and observed significantly elevated TNF-α concentrations in patients (vs controls;
P
<0.05) and, moreover, a significant inverse correlation between TNF-α and EPC levels (
P
<0.05). Moreover, by means of a quantitative RT-PCR approach, we measured CD34, CD133 and VEGFR2 mRNA levels of PB samples and found a net trend toward a decrease in all the investigated EPC-specific mRNA levels in patients as compared with controls. However, statistical significance was reached only for VEGFR2 and CD133 levels (
P
<0.01 for both markers). This is the first paper that demonstrates evidence of decreased numbers of circulating EPCs in patients with a current episode of major depression.