A case-control study of oxidative stress and endogenous antioxidants in major depressive disorder at a tertiary care hospital in Assam

Talukdar C, Talukdar U

Pdf Page Numbers :- 195-200

Chayanika Talukdar^1,* and Uddip Talukdar²

¹Department of Biochemistry, Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, Guwahati, Assam-781032, India

²Department of Psychiatry, Nagaon Medical College and Hospital, Guwahati, Assam- 781032, India.

*Corresponding author: Dr. Chayanika Talukdar, Department of Biochemistry, Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, Guwahati, Assam-781032, India. Email: dr.chayanikatalukdar@yahoo.com

Received 13 January 2025; Revised 18 March 2025; Accepted 24 March 2025; Published 31 March 2025

Citation: Talukdar C, Talukdar U. A case-control study of oxidative stress and endogenous antioxidants in major depressive disorder at a tertiary care hospital in Assam. J Med Sci Res. 2025; 13(2):195-200. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17727/JMSR.2024/13-34

Copyright: © 2025 Talukdar C et al. Published by KIMS Foundation and Research Center. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

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Abstract

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a leading cause of disability worldwide. Although its etiopathogenesis remains largely unknown, several studies suggest that major depression is characterized by decreased antioxidant status and increased oxidative stress. This study aims to estimate oxidative stress markers (MDA) and endogenous antioxidants (SOD, Nrf2, uric acid, and albumin) in patients with MDD, compare them with healthy controls, and evaluate the correlation between oxidative stress markers, antioxidant levels, and disease severity.

Methods: A hospital-based case-control study was conducted on 50 patients with MDD and 50 age- and sex-matched healthy controls over a period of one year at a tertiary care center in Assam. MDA, SOD, and Nrf2 levels were measured using ELISA kits. Uric acid and albumin were estimated using a double-beam UV spectrophotometer (Spectrascan UV-2600, Chemito).

Results: MDA levels were significantly increased (p < 0.0001), while SOD, Nrf2, uric acid, and albumin levels were significantly decreased (p < 0.05) in the test group compared to the control group. Furthermore, MDA levels were positively correlated with the severity of depression, whereas SOD, Nrf2, and uric acid levels decreased significantly with increasing severity.

Conclusion: Oxidative stress may play a key role in the pathophysiology of MDD, MDA, SOD, Nrf2, albumin, and uric acid could potentially serve as biomarkers for depression.

Keywords: malondialdehyde; superoxide dismutase; nuclear factor erythroid; major depressive disorder; albumin; uric acid; Assam