Ferritin disorder in the plasma and hippocampus associated with major depressive disorder

Abstract Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a debilitating mental illness that can cause significant emotional disturbances and severe socioeconomic burdens. Rodent and nonhuman primate-based depression models have been studied, such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and monoamine acid disorder hypotheses, as well as peripheral microbiota disturbances causing MDD; however, the pathogenesis is still largely unknown. This study aims to explore the relationship between ferritin and MDD. First, alterations in ferritin, including ferritin light chain (FTL) and ferritin heavy chain (FTH), in MDD patient plasma compared with healthy control (HC) plasma were detected using ELISA. Then, serum ferritin expression in cLPS-depressed mice was measured by ELISA. The existence of FTH in the hippocampus was validated by immunofluorescence, and the change in FTH levels in the hippocampus of mice injected with cLPS was detected by western blotting. FTL levels in MDD patients were decreased compared with those in HCs. In cLPS-depressed mice, serum ferritin was not different from that in the control group, while the expression of FTH in the hippocampus was significantly reduced in depressed mice. Our findings demonstrate the alteration of ferritin expression in MDD and provide new insight into the pathogenesis of MDD.