Plasma lipidomic profile of depressive symptoms: a longitudinal study in a large sample of community-dwelling American Indians in the strong heart study

Jasmine tea extract prevents CUMS-induced depression-like behaviors through the modulation of microbiota-gut-brain axis

Depression is strongly linked to dysfunctions in the microbiota-gut-brain axis. Jasmine tea, a traditional Chinese beverage made by combining green tea with Jasminum sambac, has potential antidepressant effects. However, its potential to alleviate depression via modulation of the microbiota-gut-brain axis remains largely unstudied. In this study, we used a rat model of depression induced by chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) to investigate the effects of jasmine tea extract (JT) on depression-related symptoms. Behavioral assessments, inflammatory marker analysis, hippocampal histology, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression assays demonstrated that JT alleviated depressive behaviors, reduced brain tissue damage, and restored cognitive function in CUMS-exposed rats. JT also significantly reduced intestinal levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α) and modulated oxidative stress markers (MDA, SOD, and CAT), suggesting a role in preserving intestinal integrity. Further, 16S rRNA sequencing revealed that JT shifted the gut microbiota composition in favor of beneficial bacteria such as Romboutsia, Blautia, and Monoglobus, while decreasing the abundance of potentially harmful bacteria, including Bifidobacterium, Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1, and Escherichia-Shigella. Meanwhile, non-targeted and targeted metabolomics analyses showed that JT influenced key metabolic pathways involving tryptophan, short-chain fatty acids, and bile acids, helping to restore metabolic balance across various tissues (feces, colon, serum, and cerebral cortex) in the depressed rats. These findings indicate that JT may alleviate depression by modulating the microbiota-gut-brain axis, highlighting its potential as a dietary intervention for depression management.

Discovery of potential female-specific biomarkers for major depressive disorder by LC-MS-based metabolomics

The prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD) is higher in females than males, emphasizing the need to identify gender-specific biomarkers to improve diagnosis accuracy. In this study, a cross-sectional investigation with 258 samples was conducted to evaluate the discriminative power of potential gender-specific biomarkers for MDD. Eighteen MDD-related differential metabolites have been identified, involving pathways of phospholipids, glycerolipids, fatty acids, sphingolipids, cholesterol, vitamin E, and heme. A potential biomarker combination consisting of palmitelaidic acid, gamma carboxyethyl hydroxychroman (gamma-CEHC), and lysoPE(16:0) was confirmed for predicting depression in women using binary logistic regression analysis. To evaluate the panel's specificity, nine generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) samples, which share highly similar clinical symptoms with MDD, were included in the validation set. The discovery and validation sets yielded an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.86 and 0.83, respectively. All nine female GAD samples were correctly predicted as non-MDD, demonstrating the panel's specificity in diagnosing female MDD. Remarkably, this composite panel achieved a 75 % prediction accuracy in female samples in both the discovery and validation sets, but it did not reach 60 % prediction accuracy in male samples in either set. Our findings highlight the importance of gender-specific molecular diagnostics in developing practical and accurate diagnostic methods for MDD.

Plasma proteomic signature of chronic psychosocial stress in mice

Chronic stress significantly impacts both physical and mental wellbeing, increasing risk of cardiovascular disease, immune dysregulation, and psychiatric conditions such as depression and anxiety disorders. The plasma proteome is a valuable source of biomarkers of health and disease, but the limited number of studies exploring the potential of the plasma proteome as a biomarker for stress-related disorders underscores the importance of further investigation of the effects of chronic stress on the plasma proteome. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of a 5-week chronic psychosocial stress paradigm on the plasma proteome in mice and to determine if any affected proteins correlated with stress-induced changes in behaviour and physiology, and thus might represent biomarkers of negative impacts of chronic stress. Using LC-MS/MS proteomic analysis, 38 proteins in the mouse plasma proteome were identified to be affected by chronic psychosocial stress. Functional analysis revealed that these proteins clustered into biological functions including inflammatory response, regulation of the immune response, complement and coagulation cascades, lipid metabolic process, and high-density lipoprotein particles. Correlation analyses of the identified proteins with stress-induced behavioral or physiological changes stress revealed significant correlations between stress-induced anxiety-like behaviour and Phosphatidylinositol-glycan-specific phospholipase D, Complement C2, Epidermal growth factor receptor, Prosaposin, Actin-related protein 2/3 complex subunit 1B, Maltase-glucoamylase, Mannosyl-oligosaccharide 1,2-alpha-mannosidase IA and Fibrinogen-like protein 1. Chronic psychosocial stress blunted acute stress-induced corticosterone release, and this correlated with abundance of Pyrethroid hydrolase Ces2a; N-fatty-acyl-amino acid synthase/hydrolase Pm20d1, Mannosyl-oligosaccharide 1,2-alpha-mannosidase IA, Alpha-2-macroglobulin-P and L-selectin. Finally, stress-induced reductions in both brown and epididymal fat correlated with Phosphatidylinositol-glycan-specific phospholipase D, Complement C2, Epidermal growth factor receptor, Kininogen-1, Apolipoprotein M, Angiopoietin-related protein 3, Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9, and Lipopolysaccharide-binding protein. These findings demonstrate that chronic psychosocial stress induces alterations in plasma proteins implicated in key biological processes and pathways related to stress response, immune function, and lipid metabolic regulation. Further investigation into these proteins may provide new avenues for identification of biomarkers or mediators of stress-induced pathology.

Depression and Incident Hypertension: The Strong Heart Family Study

Introduction

Compared with White Americans, American Indian adults have disproportionately high depression rates. Previous studies in non-American Indian populations report depression as common among people with uncontrolled hypertension, potentially interfering with blood pressure control. Few studies have examined the association of depressive symptoms with hypertension development among American Indians despite that population's high burden of depression and hypertension. We examined the association of depressive symptoms with incident hypertension in a large cohort of American Indians.

Methods

We studied 1,408 American Indian participants in the Strong Heart Family Study, a longitudinal, ongoing, epidemiologic study assessing cardiovascular disease and its risk factors among American Indian populations. Depressive symptoms were assessed by using the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale, 2001-2003. At each study examination in 2001-2003 and 2007-2009, blood pressure was measured 3 times. The average of the last 2 measurements taken at baseline and follow-up examinations was used for analyses. Incident hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure ≥140 mm Hg, diastolic blood pressure of ≥90 mm Hg, or use of hypertension medications at follow-up. To account for within-family correlation, we used generalized estimating equations to examine the association of depressive symptoms with incident hypertension.

Results

During follow-up, 257 participants developed hypertension. Participants with symptoms consistent with depression (CES-D ≥16) at baseline had 54% higher odds of developing hypertension during follow-up (OR = 1.54; 95% CI, 1.06-2.23) compared with those without depression (CES-D <16) at baseline after adjustment for other risk factors.

Conclusion

These data suggest that participants who experienced symptoms consistent with depression were at increased odds of incident hypertension.

Longitudinal lipidomic profiles of left ventricular mass and left ventricular hypertrophy in American Indians

BACKGROUNDLeft ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and dyslipidemia are strong, independent predictors for cardiovascular disease, but their relationship is less well studied. A longitudinal lipidomic profiling of left ventricular mass (LVM) and LVH is still lacking.METHODSUsing liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), we repeatedly measured 1,542 lipids from 1,755 unique American Indians attending 2 exams (mean, 5 years apart). Cross-sectional associations of individual lipid species with LVM index (LVMI) were examined by generalized estimating equation (GEE), followed by replication in an independent biracial cohort (65% White, 35% Black). Baseline plasma lipids associated with LVH risk beyond traditional risk factors were identified by logistic GEE model in American Indians. Longitudinal associations between changes in lipids and changes in LVMI were examined by GEE, adjusting for baseline lipids, baseline LVMI, and covariates.RESULTSMultiple lipid species were significantly associated with LVMI or the risk of LVH in American Indians. Some lipids were confirmed in Black and White individuals. Moreover, some LVH-related lipids were inversely associated with risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Longitudinal changes in several lipid species were significantly associated with changes in LVMI.CONCLUSIONAltered fasting plasma lipidome and its longitudinal change over time were significantly associated with LVMI and risk for LVH in American Indians. Our results offer insight into the role of individual lipid species in LV remodeling and risk of LVH, independent of known risk factors.FUNDINGThis study was supported by the NIH grant (R01DK107532). The Strong Heart Study has been funded in whole or in part with federal funds from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH, Department of Health and Human Services, under contract nos. 75N92019D00027, 75N92019D00028, 75N92019D00029, and 75N92019D00030.

Maternal fat intake in pregnancy and risk of depressive symptoms in Japanese adolescents: the Kyushu Okinawa Maternal and Child Health Study

The current prebirth cohort study investigated the association between maternal intake of specific types of fatty acids during pregnancy and adolescent depressive symptoms based on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Subjects were 873 mother-child pairs. Dietary intake during the preceding month was assessed using a self-administered diet history questionnaire. The risk of depressive symptoms was 23.3% among the 873 adolescents at 13 years of age. Higher maternal saturated fatty acid intake during pregnancy was independently associated with a reduced risk of depressive symptoms in adolescents. Maternal intake of total fat, monounsaturated fatty acids, n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, α-linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, linoleic acid, arachidonic acid and cholesterol during pregnancy was not significantly related to depressive symptoms in adolescents. Higher maternal intake of saturated fatty acids during pregnancy may be inversely associated with adolescent depressive symptoms.

Factor Structures in the Depressive Symptoms Domains in the 9Q for Northern Thai Adults and Their Association with Chronic Diseases

Most of the common models to examine depression are one-factor models; however, previous studies provided several-factor structure models on each depressive symptom using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). The Nine-Questions Depression-Rating Scale (9Q) is an alternative assessment tool that was developed for assessing the severity of depressive symptoms in Thai adults. This study aimed to examine the factor structure of this tool based on the factor structure models for the PHQ-9 provided in previous studies using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). We also examined the association of chronic diseases and depressive symptoms using the Multiple Indicators Multiple Causes model among 1346 participants aged 19 years old or more without psychiatric disorders. The results show that the two-factor CFA model with six items in the cognitive-affective domain and three items in the somatic domain provided the best fit for depressive symptoms in the study population (RMSEA = 0.077, CFI = 0.953, TLI = 0.936). Dyslipidemia was positively associated with both cognitive-affective symptoms (β = 0.120) and somatic depressive symptoms (β = 0.080). Allergies were associated with a higher level of cognitive-affective depressive symptoms (β = 0.087), while migraine (β = 0.114) and peptic ulcer disease (β = 0.062) were associated with a higher level of somatic symptoms. Increased age was associated with a lower level of somatic symptoms (β = -0.088). Our findings suggested that considering depressive symptoms as two dimensions yields a better fit for depressive symptoms. The co-occurrence of chronic diseases associated with depressive symptoms should be monitored.

Solitary and Synergistic Effects of Different Hydrophilic and Hydrophobic Phospholipid Moieties on Rat Behaviors

Glycerophospholipids have hydrophobic and hydrophilic moieties. Previous studies suggest that phospholipids with different moieties have different effects on rodent behavior; however, the relationship between chemical structures and behavioral effects remains unclear. To clarify the functions of phospholipid moieties, we injected male rats with phospholipids with different moieties and conducted behavioral tests. Exploratory activity was reduced by phosphatidylethanolamine (PE)(18:0/22:6) but not PE(18:0/18:0) or PE(18:0/20:4). Conversely, exploratory activity was increased by plasmanyl PE(16:0/22:6), which harbors an alkyl-ether linkage, but not by phosphatidylcholine (PC)(16:0/22:6) or plasmanyl PC(16:0/22:6). Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)(22:6) and an alkyl-ether linkage in PE were thus postulated to be involved in exploratory activity. Anxiety-like behavior was reduced by plasmenyl PC(18:0/20:4), which harbors a vinyl-ether linkage, but not by PC(18:0/20:4) or plasmanyl PC(18:0/20:4), suggesting the anxiolytic effects of vinyl-ether linkage. The activation of social interaction was suppressed by PE(18:0/18:0), PE(18:0/22:6), PC(16:0/22:6), plasmanyl PE(16:0/22:6), and plasmanyl PC(16:0/22:6) but not by PE(18:0/20:4), plasmenyl PE(18:0/20:4), or plasmanyl PC(18:0/22:6). DHA may suppress social interaction, whereas arachidonic acid(20:4) or a combination of alkyl-ether linkage and stearic acid(18:0) may restore social deficits. Our findings indicate the characteristic effects of different phospholipid moieties on rat behavior, and may help to elucidate patterns between chemical structures and their effects.

Longitudinal Lipidomic Signature of Coronary Heart Disease in American Indian People

BACKGROUND

Dyslipidemia is an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD). Standard lipid panel cannot capture the complexity of the blood lipidome (ie, all molecular lipids in the blood). To date, very few large-scale epidemiological studies have assessed the full spectrum of the blood lipidome on risk of CHD, especially in a longitudinal setting.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Using an untargeted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, we repeatedly measured 1542 lipid species from 1835 unique American Indian participants who attended 2 clinical visits (≈5.5 years apart) and followed up to 17.8 years in the Strong Heart Family Study (SHFS). We first identified baseline lipid species associated with risk of CHD, followed by replication in a European population. The model adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, smoking, hypertension, diabetes, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, estimated glomerular filtration rate, education, and physical activity at baseline. We then examined the longitudinal association between changes in lipid species and changes in cardiovascular risk factors during follow-up. Multiple testing was controlled by the false discovery rate. We found that baseline levels of multiple lipid species (eg, phosphatidylcholines, phosphatidylethanolamines, and ceramides) were associated with the risk of CHD and improved the prediction accuracy over conventional risk factors in American Indian people. Some identified lipids in American Indian people were replicated in European people. Longitudinal changes in multiple lipid species (eg, acylcarnitines, phosphatidylcholines, and triacylglycerols) were associated with changes in cardiovascular risk factors.

CONCLUSIONS

Baseline plasma lipids and their longitudinal changes over time are associated with risk of CHD. These findings provide novel insights into the role of dyslipidemia in CHD.

Assessing the risk of prenatal depressive symptoms in Chinese women: an integrated evaluation of serum metabolome, multivitamin supplement intake, and clinical blood indicators

Background

Prenatal depressive symptoms (PDS) is a serious public health problem. This study aimed to develop an integrated panel and nomogram to assess at-risk populations by examining the association of PDS with the serum metabolome, multivitamin supplement intake, and clinical blood indicators.

Methods

This study comprised 221 pregnant women, categorized into PDS and non-PDS groups based on the Edinburgh postnatal depression scale. The participants were divided into training and test sets according to their enrollment time. We conducted logistic regression analysis to identify risk factors, and employed liquid chromatography/high resolution mass spectrometry-based serum metabolome analysis to identify metabolic biomarkers. Multiple factor analysis was used to combine risk factors, clinical blood indicators and key metabolites, and then a nomogram was developed to estimate the probability of PDS.

Results

We identified 36 important differential serum metabolites as PDS biomarkers, mainly involved in amino acid metabolism and lipid metabolism. Multivitamin intake works as a protective factor for PDS. The nomogram model, including multivitamin intake, HDL-C and three key metabolites (histidine, estrone and valylasparagine), exhibited an AUC of 0.855 in the training set and 0.774 in the test set, and the calibration curves showed good agreement, indicating that the model had good stability.

Conclusion

Our approach integrates multiple models to identify metabolic biomarkers for PDS, ensuring their robustness. Furthermore, the inclusion of dietary factors and clinical blood indicators allows for a comprehensive characterization of each participant. The analysis culminated in an intuitive nomogram based on multimodal data, displaying potential performance in initial PDS risk assessment.

Recent Progress in Mass Spectrometry-Based Metabolomics in Major Depressive Disorder Research

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a serious mental illness with a heavy social burden, but its underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Mass spectrometry (MS)-based metabolomics is providing new insights into the heterogeneous pathophysiology, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of MDD by revealing multi-parametric biomarker signatures at the metabolite level. In this comprehensive review, recent developments of MS-based metabolomics in MDD research are summarized from the perspective of analytical platforms (liquid chromatography-MS, gas chromatography-MS, supercritical fluid chromatography-MS, etc.), strategies (untargeted, targeted, and pseudotargeted metabolomics), key metabolite changes (monoamine neurotransmitters, amino acids, lipids, etc.), and antidepressant treatments (both western and traditional Chinese medicines). Depression sub-phenotypes, comorbid depression, and multi-omics approaches are also highlighted to stimulate further advances in MS-based metabolomics in the field of MDD research.

Longitudinal lipidomic signature of carotid atherosclerosis in American Indians: Findings from the Strong Heart Family Study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Dyslipidemia is an independent risk factor for atherosclerosis and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). To date, a comprehensive assessment of individual lipid species associated with atherosclerosis is lacking in large-scale epidemiological studies, especially in a longitudinal setting. We investigated the association of circulating lipid species and its longitudinal changes with carotid atherosclerosis.

METHODS

Using liquid chromatograph-mass spectrometry, we repeatedly measured 1542 lipid species in 3687 plasma samples from 1918 unique American Indians attending two visits (mean ∼5 years apart) in the Strong Heart Family Study. Carotid atherosclerotic plaques were assessed by ultrasonography at each visit. We identified lipids associated with prevalence or progression of carotid plaques, adjusting age, sex, BMI, smoking, hypertension, diabetes, and eGFR. Then we examined whether longitudinal changes in lipids were associated with changes in cardiovascular risk factors. Multiple testing was controlled at false discovery rate (FDR) < 0.05.

RESULTS

Higher levels of sphingomyelins, ether-phosphatidylcholines, and triacylglycerols were significantly associated with prevalence or progression of carotid plaques (odds ratios ranged from 1.15 to 1.34). Longitudinal changes in multiple lipid species (e.g., acylcarnitines, phosphatidylcholines, triacylglycerols) were associated with changes in cardiometabolic traits (e.g., BMI, blood pressure, fasting glucose, eGFR). Network analysis identified differential lipid networks associated with plaque progression.

CONCLUSIONS

Baseline and longitudinal changes in multiple lipid species were significantly associated with carotid atherosclerosis and its progression in American Indians. Some plaque-related lipid species were also associated with risk for CVD events.

Anti-depression-like effect of Mogroside V is related to the inhibition of inflammatory and oxidative stress pathways

Siraitia grosvenorii (SG) is an edible medicinal plant found mainly in Guangxi, China, and Mogroside V (MGV) is the main component of SG extract. Previous research has shown that SG and MGV exert anti-inflammatory, antioxidative and neuroprotective effects. However, it is not clear whether MGV has anti-depression-like effect. In this study, we evaluated the neuroprotective effects and anti-depression-like effect of MGV both in vitro and in vivo. By performing in vitro tests, we evaluated the protective effects of MGV on PC12 cells with corticosterone-induced injury. In vivo tests, we used the chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) depression model. Fluoxetine (10 mg/kg/day) and MGV (10 or 30 mg/kg/day) were administered by gavage for 21 days, and the open field test (OFT), novelty suppressed feeding test (NSFT), Tail suspension test (TST), and forced Swimming test (FST) were used to evaluate the depressive-like behaviors. In addition, we investigated the role of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α) and anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL-4) in the hippocampal and cortex tissues. The levels of Superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) in hippocampal and cortex tissues were also measured. Pathological changes in the hippocampal dentate gyrus and cortex regions were detected by immunofluorescence and Western blotting was used to measure the protein expression of BDNF, TrkB, TNF-α, and AKT. The results showed that MGV had a protective effect on PC12 cells with corticosterone-induced incurred injury. In addition, MGV treatment relieved the depressive symptoms and significantly reduced inflammatory levels (IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α). MGV also significantly reduced oxidative stress damage and reduced the levels of apoptosis in hippocampal nerve cells. These results suggested that the anti-depressive effect of MGV may occur through the inhibition of inflammatory and oxidative stress pathways and the BDNF/TrkB/AKT pathway. These findings provide a new concept for the identification of new anti-depressive strategies.

Longitudinal lipidomic signatures of all-cause and CVD mortality in American Indians: findings from the Strong Heart Study

Dyslipidemia is an independent and modifiable risk factor for aging and age-related disorders. Routine lipid panel cannot capture all individual lipid species in blood (i.e., blood lipidome). To date, a comprehensive assessment of the blood lipidome associated with mortality is lacking in large-scale community-dwelling individuals, especially in a longitudinal setting. Using liquid chromatograph-mass spectrometry, we repeatedly measured individual lipid species in 3,821 plasma samples collected at two visits (~ 5.5 years apart) from 1,930 unique American Indians in the Strong Heart Family Study. We first identified baseline lipids associated with risks for all-cause mortality and CVD mortality (mean follow-up period: 17.8 years) in American Indians, followed by replication of top hits in European Caucasians in the Malmö Diet and Cancer-Cardiovascular Cohort (n = 3,943, mean follow-up period: 23.7 years). The model adjusted age, sex, BMI, smoking, hypertension, diabetes, and LDL-c at baseline. We then examined the associations between changes in lipid species and risk of mortality. Multiple testing was controlled by false discovery rate (FDR). We found that baseline levels and longitudinal changes of multiple lipid species, e.g., cholesterol esters, glycerophospholipids, sphingomyelins, and triacylglycerols, were significantly associated with risks of all-cause or CVD mortality. Many lipids identified in American Indians could be replicated in European Caucasians. Network analysis identified differential lipid networks associated with risk of mortality. Our findings provide novel insight into the role of dyslipidemia in disease mortality and offer potential biomarkers for early prediction and risk reduction in American Indians and other ethnic groups.

Medium Roasting and Brewing Methods Differentially Modulate Global Metabolites, Lipids, Biogenic Amines, Minerals, and Antioxidant Capacity of Hawai'i-Grown Coffee (Coffea arabica)

In the United States, besides the US territory Puerto Rico, Hawai'i is the only state that grows commercial coffee. In Hawai'i, coffee is the second most valuable agricultural commodity. Health benefits associated with moderate coffee consumption, including its antioxidant capacity, have been correlated to its bioactive components. Post-harvest techniques, coffee variety, degree of roasting, and brewing methods significantly impact the metabolites, lipids, minerals, and/or antioxidant capacity of brewed coffees. The goal of our study was to understand the impact of roasting and brewing methods on metabolites, lipids, biogenic amines, minerals, and antioxidant capacity of two Hawai'i-grown coffee (Coffea arabica) varieties, "Kona Typica" and "Yellow Catuai". Our results indicated that both roasting and coffee variety significantly modulated several metabolites, lipids, and biogenic amines of the coffee brews. Furthermore, regardless of coffee variety, the antioxidant capacity of roasted coffee brews was higher in cold brews. Similarly, total minerals were higher in "Kona Typica" cold brews followed by "Yellow Catuai" cold brews. Hawai'i-grown coffees are considered "specialty coffees" since they are grown in unique volcanic soils and tropical microclimates with unique flavors. Our studies indicate that both Hawai'i-grown coffees contain several health-promoting components. However, future studies are warranted to compare Hawai'i-grown coffees with other popular brand coffees and their health benefits in vivo.