LOWER SERUM ZINC IN MAJOR DEPRESSION IS A SENSITIVE MARKER OF TREATMENT RESISTANCE AND OF THE IMMUNE INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE IN THAT ILLNESS/

The aims of the present study were to examine i) serum zinc (Zn) and c opper (Cu) in treatment resistant depression (TRD); ii) the effects of subchronic antidepressant therapy on these trace elements; and iii) t he relationships between serum Zn and Cu and immune/inflammatory marke rs, Serum Zn was significantly lower in TRD than in normal controls. T here was a significant inverse correlation between baseline serum Zn a nd staging of depression based on severity of prior treatment resistan ce, There were no significant effects of antidepressive treatment on s erum Zn, whereas serum Cu was significantly reduced, There were highly significant correlations between serum Zn and the CD4(+)/CD8(+) T-cel l ratio (negative), and total serum protein, serum albumin, and transf errin (all positive), The results suggest that lower serum Zn is a mar ker of TRD and of the immune/inflammatory response in depression. It i s suggested that treatment resistance may bear a relationship with the immune/inflammatory alterations in major depression. (C) 1997 Society of Biological Psychiatry.