Study aim. To develop a highly sensitive method for assaying platelet serotonin concentrations suitable for use in daily clinical practice. Materials and methods. The method was intended for assay of platelet-enriched plasma (PEP). Serotonin was assayed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorimetric detection and a hematology analyzer. Results and discussion. Investigations of healthy subjects yielded platelet serotonin concentrations consistent with published data: from 2.19 to 4.87 nmol/109 platelets. Investigations of 30 patients with depressive disorders identified decreased platelet serotonin concentrations, with levels ranging from 0.11 to 2.89 nmol/109 platelets, along with a correlation between this value and clinical evaluation of the severity of depression. The authors regard the method developed here as suitable for clinical purposes.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
J. D. Fernstrom, “Effects of the diet on brain neurotransmitters,” Metabolism, 26, No. 2, 207–223 (1977).
M. M. Rapport, A. A. Green, and I. H. Page, “Serum vasoconstrictor, serotonin; isolation and characterization,” J. Biol. Chem., 176, No. 3, 1243–1251 (1948).
V. Erspamer and B. Asero, “Identification of enteramine, the specific hormone of the enterochromaffin cell system, as 5-hydroxytryptamine,” Nature, 169, No. 4306, 800–801 (1952).
B. M. Twarog and I. H. Page, “Serotonin content of some mammalian tissues and urine and a method for its determination,” Am. J. Physiol., 175, No. 1, 157–161 (1953).
M. Maes, B. E. Leonard, A. M. Myint, et al., “The new ‘5-HT’ hypothesis of depression: cell-mediated immune activation induces indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase, which leads to lower plasma tryptophan and an increased synthesis of detrimental tryptophan catabolites (TRYCATs), both of which contribute to the onset of depression,” Prog. Neuropsychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiatry, 35, No. 3, 702–721 (2011).
A. E. Eggers, “A serotonin hypothesis of schizophrenia,” Med. Hypotheses, 80, No. 6, 791–794 (2013).
G. M. Anderson, “Genetics of Childhood Disorders: XLV. Autism, Part 4: Serotonin in autism,” J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry, 41, No. 12, 1513–1516 (2002).
E. J. Mulder, G. M. Anderson, I. P. Kema, et al., “Platelet serotonin levels in pervasive developmental disorders and mental retardation: diagnostic group differences, within-group distribution, and behavioral correlates,” J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry, 43, No. 4, 491–499 (2004).
J. J. Rodríguez, H. N. Noristani, and A. Verkhratsky, “The serotonergic system in ageing and Alzheimer’s disease,” Prog. Neurobiol., 99, No. 1, 15–41 (2012).
D. Rylander, “The serotonin system: a potential target for anti-dyskinetic treatment and biomarker discovery,” Parkinsonism and Relat. Disord., Supplement 1, 126–128 (2012).
L. Dupuis, O. Spreux-Varoquaux, G. Bensimon, et al., “Platelet serotonin level predicts survival in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,” PLoS One, 5, No. 10, 13,346 (2010).
J. J. Schildkrait, “The catecholamine hypothesis of affective disorders: A review of supporting evidence,” J. Neuropsychiatry Clin. Neurosci., 7, 524–533 (1965).
A. Coppen, “The biochemistry of affective disorders,” Br. J. Psychiatry, 113, 1237–1264 (1967).
A. S. Tiganov, G. I. Kopeiko, I. S. Bursov, and T. P. Klyushnik, “Progress in studies of the pathogenesis and treatment of depression,” Zh. Nevrol. Psikhiat., 112, No. 11, part 1, 65–72 (2012).
A. Pletscher and A. Laubscher, “Blood platelets as models for neurons: uses and limitations,” J. Neural Transm., 16, No. 7, 7–16 (1980).
M. Da Prada and G. B. Picotti, “Content and subcellular localization of catecholamines and 5-hydroxytryptamine in human and animal blood platelets: monoamine distribution between platelets and plasma,” Br. J. Pharmacol., 65, No. 4, 653–662 (1979).
T. Audhya, J. B. Adams, and L. Johansen, “Correlation of serotonin levels in CSF, platelets, plasma, and urine,” Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 1820, No. 10, 1496–1501 (2012).
Z. Kovacic, N. Henigsberg, N. Pivac, et al., “Platelet serotonin concentration and suicidal behavior in combat related posttraumatic stress disorder,” Prog. Neuropsychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiatry, 32, No. 2, 544–551 (2008).
D. Muck-Seler, N. Pivac, M. Mustopic, et al., “Platelet serotonin and plasma prolactin and cortisol in healthy, depressed and schizophrenic women,” Psychiatry Res., 127, No. 3, 217–226 (2004).
V. I. Skvortsova, E. A. Petrova, O. S. Brusov, et al., “Pathogenetic characteristics of the development of poststroke affective disorders,” Zh. Nevrol. Psikhiat., 110, No. 7, 35–40 (2010).
W. G. Meijer, I. P. Kema, M. Volmer, et al., “Discriminating capacity of indole markers in the diagnosis of carcinoid tumors,” Clin. Chem., 46, No. 10, 1588–1596 (2000).
M. Lesurtel, C. Soll, R. Graf, et al., “Role of serotonin in the hepato- gastrointestinal tract: an old molecule for new perspectives,” Cell Mol. Life Sci., 65, No. 6, 940–952 (2008).
M. Z. Wrona and G. Dryhurst, “Oxidation of serotonin by superoxide radical: implications to neurodegenerative brain disorders,” Chem. Res. Toxicol., 11, No. 6, 639–650 (1998).
N. V. Revnova and L. E. Gorn, Methods for Laboratory Investigations Used in the Medical Examination of Workers in Hazardous Conditions. Methodological Recommendations, 2–3 (1980), http://base.consultant. ru/cons/сgl/online.сgl?reg=doc:base=ESU:n=10564.
C. M. Middelkoop, G. A. Dekker, A. A. Kraayenbrink, and C. Popp-Snijders, “Platelet-poor plasma serotonin in normal and preeclamptic pregnancy,” Clin. Chem., 39, No. 8, 1675–1678 (1993).
"An immunochemical test for assay of serotonin in serum, urine, and platelets," Pharmacopeia Article 2010/06620, April 22, 2010, www.analytica.ru/instructions/immunochemystry/ifa/kits/LDN/ldn-bac-8900-serotonin.pdf.
E. Flachaire, C. Beney, Y. Salandre, et al., “Determination of reference values for serotonin concentration in platelets of healthy newborns, children, adults, and elderly subjects by HPLC with electrochemical detector,” Clin. Chem., 3, No. 12, 2117–2120 (1990).
A. A. Gershkovich and V. K. Kiberev, The Chemical Synthesis of Peptides, Naukova Dumka, Kiev (1992).
A. A. Lur’e, Chromatography Materials: Handbook, Khimiya, Moscow (1978), pp. 367–381.
M. Picard, D. Olichon, and J. Gombert, “Determination of serotonin in plasma by liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection,” J. Chromatogr., 341, 445–451 (1985).
J. R. Chin, “Determination of six indolic compounds, including melatonin, in rat pineal using high-performance liquid chromatography with serial fluorimetric-electrochemical detection,” J. Chromatogr., 528, 111–121 (1990).
P. Sadek, Solvents for HPLC. Laboratory Knowledge, Binom, Moscow (2006).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Translated from Zhurnal Nevrologii i Psikhiatrii imeni S. S. Korsakova, Vol. 114, No. 8, Iss. I, pp. 51–57, August, 2014.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bezrukov, M.V., Shilov, Y.E., Shestakova, N.V. et al. Biological Evaluation of the Severity of Depression – a New Method for Assaying Platelet Serotonin Concentrations. Neurosci Behav Physi 46, 338–343 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11055-016-0238-5
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11055-016-0238-5