Peripheral zinc and neopterin concentrations are associated with mood severity in bipolar disorder in a gender-specific manner. (September 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Millett, Caitlin E.; Mukherjee, Dahlia; Reider, Aubrey; Can, Adem; Groer, Maureen; Fuchs, Dietmar; Postolache, Teodor T.; Kelleher, Shannon L.; Saunders, Erika F.H.
• Is Part Of: Psychiatry research. Volume 255(2017)
• Page Start: 52
• Page End: 58
• Publication Date: 2017-09
• Subjects: Biological marker -- Zinc -- Inflammation -- Gender -- Bipolar depression; Psychiatry -- Periodicals; Psychiatry -- periodicals; Psychiatrie -- Périodiques; 616.89
• DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2017.05.022
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0165-1781

Abstract

Abstract: Bipolar disorder (BD) is a recurrent, episodic mood disorder for which there are no current diagnostic, prognostic or theranostic biomarkers. Two peripheral markers of the acute phase immune response, zinc and neopterin, are consistently associated with severity of depression in literature. Given gender differences in clinical presentation of BD and in inflammatory processes, we aimed to explore the interaction between gender and immune biomarkers to predict mood severity in BD. Participants with DSM IV BD I and II were recruited through the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute during an acute mood episode. Healthy controls (HC) were recruited through advertisements. Participants fasted for at least 6 h when blood was drawn for biomarkers. We found that zinc concentrations were significantly lower in the BD group at baseline (p<.05), and there was also a significant interaction between gender and zinc (p<.05), associated with depression severity. Also, we found a significant interaction between gender and neopterin, associated with mania severity (p<.05). We found that mania severity was associated with neopterin in men, while depression severity was positively associated with zinc in women. Our report bears replication in larger samples and highlights the potential for differences in the underlying pathophysiology between men and women with BD. Highlights: Peripheral zinc was reduced in symptomatic bipolar disorder compared to healthy controls. Women with bipolar disorder showed a positive correlation between zinc concentration and depression severity. Peripheral neopterin was positively correlated with mania severity in men with bipolar disorder. Zinc and neopterin concentrations were not correlated with one another in the overall bipolar group.