Objective: 

It is known that nesfatin-1, nitric oxide (NO) and ghrelin levels are markedly changed in patients with Major Depressive Disorders (MDD). However, it is not known that whether the changes in hormone levels trigger MDD or MDD cause changes in these hormones. We have investigated changes in nesfatin-1, NO and ghrelin levels in response to the 3-month venlafaxine treatment in patients with MDD.

Methods: 

This study was approved by the local ethics committee. Informed consent (signed) was obtained from each subject. A total of 60 (20 MDD patients and 40 healthy control) subjects were enrolled into this study. Venlafaxine (225 mg/day for 3 months) was given to patients. Fasting blood samples were taken at onset of the study and at the end of the 3 months. Biochemical parameters, ghrelin, nesfatin-1 and NO were analyzed. Paired t-test used for pre- ad post-treatment values and unpaired t-test used for control and treatment group values. P<0.05 was accepted as significant.

Results: 

At basal level, nesfatin-1 was higher in MDD group compared to control: 82.2±2.1 ng/ml vs 11.4±4.7 ng/ml, respectively. However, NO and ghrelin levels were found to be lower in MDD group compared to control group: 2.2±0.5 nmol/L vs 6.2±0.3 nmol/L, and 40.6±7.7 pg/ml vs 316.9±49.7 pg/ml, respectively. Importantly, nesfatin-1 (p<0.001) and ghrelin (p<0.001) were decreased significantly, but NO levels were significantly increased in patients with MDD after venlafaxine treatment (p<0.05).

Conclusions: 

Our findings suggest that improvements in nesfatin-1 and NO levels in MDD patients following treatment could be an important criterion to evaluate prognosis of disease and patients' response to treatment.