Abstract
Introduction: The bidirectional connection between the brain and the gut within psychiatric entities has gained increasing scientific attention over the last years. As a regulator of intestinal permeability, zonulin acts as a key player on the interface of this interplay. Like several psychiatric disorders, intestinal permeability was associated with inflammation in previous findings.
Methods: In this study we explored differences in zonulin serum levels in currently depressed (n = 55) versus currently euthymic (n = 37) individuals with an affective disorder. Further, we explored sex differences and possible influences on zonulin and affective symptoms like medication, age, body mass index, and smoking status.
Results: Serum zonulin was significantly higher in females than in men independent from affective status (z = -2.412, p = .016). More specifically, females in the euthymic subgroup had higher zonulin levels than euthymic men (z = -2.114, p = .035). There was no difference in zonulin serum levels in individuals taking or not taking a specific psychopharmacotherapy. We found no correlation between zonulin serum levels and depression severity.
Discussion: Increased serum zonulin levels as a proxy for increased intestinal permeability in women may indicate a state of elevated susceptibility for depression-inducing stimuli.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 441-446 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Journal of Affective Disorders |
| Volume | 294 |
| Early online date | 21 Jul 2021 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Nov 2021 |
Keywords
- Inflammation
- Zonulin
- Affective disorders
- Intestinal permeability
- Depression
- Bipolar disorder
Fingerprint
Dive into the research topics of 'Sex differences in zonulin in affective disorders and associations with current mood symptoms'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Cite this
- APA
- Author
- BIBTEX
- Harvard
- Standard
- RIS
- Vancouver