›› 2019, Vol. 39 ›› Issue (7): 805-.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1674-8115.2019.07.021

• Review • Previous Articles    

Advanced research of kynurenine pathway mechanism in suicide of major depressive disorder

ZHAO Dong-mei1, 2*, DING Lei1*, LIU Hong-ye1, 3, PENG Dai-hui1   

  1. 1. Mood Disorder Department, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200030, China; 2. The Second Clinical Department, Shanghai Changning Mental Health Center, Shanghai 200335, China; 3. Psychosomatic Department, Tongji Hospital, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200065, China
  • Online:2019-07-28 Published:2019-08-26
  • Supported by:
    Scientific Research Project of Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission, 18JC1420304; Key Clinical Research Program of Shanghai Mental Health Center, CRC2018ZD05; Cross-disciplinary and Translational Medical Research of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, ZH2018ZDA29

Abstract: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the world′s major chronic and disabling mental diseases.2030, MDD is expected to be the top of all the disease burden in the world, with high prevalence, high recurrence rate, high disability rate, and high suicide rate. Suicide is the most serious consequence of MDD. Current studies showed that inflammatory levels in the central nervous system and peripheral blood of patients with MDD were higher, and increased more significantly in depressive patients with suicidal ideation or behavior. Related researches showed that increased levels of inflammatory cytokines were associated with dysregulation of kynurenine metabolic pathway, leading to imbalances in neurometabolites, such as an excess of the neurotoxic product quinolinic acid and a decrease in the protective neuropeptide picolinic acid. This paper reviews kynurenine metabolic pathway, expecting to identify the biomarkers of MDD patients with suicide.

Key words: major depressive disorder (MDD), suicide, kynurenine pathway (KP), quinolinic acid (QUIN), picolinic acid (PIC)

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