Discovery and validation of a protein biomarker for the diagnosis and classification of disease severity of major depressive disorder

Background and aims: Diagnosis and classification of disease severity of major depressive disorder (MDD) are determined through a doctor's consultation and questionnaire-based rating scale. This study aimed to identify and validate a serum protein biomarker for diagnosing and classifying the disease severity of MDD.Materials and methods: Based on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) score, participants were divided into control, mild, moderate, and severe groups. Samples prepared from collected sera were analyzed using non targeted qualitative and targeted quantitative tools to identify potential biomarkers.Results: Four proteins were selected as biomarker candidates, which showed statistically significant consistent tendencies depending on MDD severity. Among them, tetranectin was the only validated protein in the quantitative analysis that showed the same decreasing tendency as that in the qualitative analysis. Furthermore, tetranectin showed fair discrimination performance between the control and MDD group.Conclusions: Tetranectin may be a novel potential biomarker for diagnosing and classifying the severity of MDD, though further verification and validation studies of its efficacy are needed

Automated summary

This study identified a potential serum protein biomarker, tetranectin, for diagnosing and classifying the severity of major depressive disorder (MDD). Further verification and validation studies confirmed the efficacy of tetranectin in qualitative and quantitative analysis, showing fair discrimination performance. Additional research is needed for further verification and validation.