Changes and clinical significance of BDNF and MMP9 before and after treatment of depressive episode

Abstract

Objective: to explore brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9) messenger in peripheral blood lymphocytes of patients with depressive episodes before and after anti-depressant treatment changes in RNA (mRNA) expression levels. Methods: fifteen patients hospitalized with depression in the Affiliated Mental Hospital of Kunming Medical University from December 2021 to June 2022 were collected as research objects. After 4 weeks of anti-depressant treatment, BDNF mRNA and MMP9 mRNA in patients with depression were detected before and after treatment, and statistically analyzed. Results: after 4 weeks of antidepressant treatment, there was no significant difference in BDNF mRNA expression level after treatment compared with before treatment (P>0.05). The mRNA level of MMP9 was higher than that before treatment, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion: antidepressant therapy increases the expression of MMP9 mRNA, increasing the conversion of BDNF precursor (proBDNF) to mature for BDNF (mBDNF) to relieve depressive symptoms, and the total content of BDNF did not change significantly.

Keywords

major depressive episode / brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) / matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9)