C Çelik, M Erdem, B Özdemir, T Çaycı, T Türker, F Özgen

Treatment of major depression with sertraline: Relationship between serum neopterin levels and respond to the treatment

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the activity of immune system in patients with major depression by using serum neopterin levels as a biochemical tool. Also, this study aimed to illuminate the relationships between pretreatment serum neopterin levels and clinical responses to antidepressant treatment.

Method: Pretreatment serum neopterin levels were measured in patients with major depression (n=30) and in healthy controls (n=26). Patients with major depression were given sertraline for 8 weeks. In the major depression patients who response to the treatment or not, pretreatment serum neopterin levels were compared.

Results: The serum neopterin levels of major depression group were higher than the serum neopterin levels of control group. The pretreatment serum neopterin levels in the major depression patients who respond to the treatment or not could not be found any difference.

Conclusions: The results of the studies that investigate the serum neopterin levels in major depression were conflict. In this study the serum neopterin levels in major depression group was found higher than the serum neopterin levels of the control groups. Also it was determined that there was no difference between respond to the sertraline treatment group and not respond to the sertraline treatment group. The finding pretreatment serum neopterin levels were higher in the patients with major depression suggests that immune system might play a role in the pathophysiology of this disorder, but this finding is not suitable for the predicting of the treatment.(Bulletin of Clinical Psychopharmacology Volume 20, Issue 2, 2010)

Keywords : Major depression, sertraline, respond to the treatment, serum neopterin levels