Am J Psychiatry 1989; 146:365-368
Copyright © 1989 by American Psychiatric Association
Salivary prostaglandin concentrations: possible state indicators for major depression
S Nishino, R Ueno, K Ohishi, T Sakai and O Hayaishi
Department of Neuropsychiatry, Osaka Medical College, Japan.
Salivary prostaglandin concentrations were determined in 42 patients with
major depressive disorder, 16 patients with minor depressive disorder, and
39 healthy control subjects. The diagnoses were made according to the
Research Diagnostic Criteria. The patients with major depressive disorder
had higher salivary prostaglandin concentrations than the control subjects,
but the patients with minor depressive disorder did not. Furthermore, the
salivary prostaglandin concentrations of the patients with major depressive
disorder showed a high correlation with the severity of the depression.
These results suggest that high salivary prostaglandin concentrations may
be state indicators for major depression.
