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The 5-HTTLPR polymorphism, platelet serotonin transporter activity and platelet serotonin content in underweight and weight-recovered females with anorexia nervosa

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Abstract

Serotonin (5-HT) pathways play an important role in the pathophysiology of anorexia nervosa (AN). In this study, we investigated functional characteristics of the platelet 5-HT transporter and platelet 5-HT content in AN patients at various stages of their illness in comparison to healthy control woman (HCW) controlling for the 5-HTTLPR deletion/insertion polymorphism and other confounding variables. Fasting blood samples of 58 acutely underweight AN patients (acAN, BMI = 15.2 ± 1.4), 26 AN patients of the initial acAN sample after short-term/partial weight restoration (BMI = 17.3 ± 0.9), 36 weight-recovered AN patients (recAN, BMI = 20.7 ± 2.2) and 58 HCW (BMI = 21.6 ± 2.0) were assessed for kinetic characteristics of platelet 5-HT uptake (V max, K m) and platelet 5-HT content. Plasma leptin served as an indicator of malnutrition. Mean V max and K m values were significantly higher in recAN subjects in comparison to HCW (2.05 ± 0.62 vs. 1.66 ± 0.40 nmol 5-HT/109 platelets min and 432 ± 215 vs. 315 ± 136 nmol, respectively) but there were no differences in platelet 5-HT content (464.8 ± 210.6 vs. 472.0 ± 162.2 ng 5-HT/109 platelets). 5-HT parameters in acAN patients and HCW were similar. 5-HTTLPR variants were not related to 5-HT platelet variables. In the longitudinal part of the study we found significantly increased 5-HT content but unchanged 5-HT uptake in AN patients after short-term/partial weight restoration. Our results highlight the importance of malnutrition for the interpretation of abnormalities in neurotransmitter systems in AN. Changes in platelet 5-HT transporter activity were related to the stage of the illness but not to 5-HTTLPR genotype. Increased V max and K m in recovered AN patients might mirror adaptive modulations of the 5-HT system.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank I. Kamenzky for excellent technical assistance, D. Weiss, M.D. for help with the biochemical assessments and J.V. Merle as well as A. Oskamp for help with the patient recruitment. Funding for this study was provided by the Charité Research Fund and the German Research Fund (DFG, personal grant to SE).

Conflict of interest statement

All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Charité, Universitätsmedizin Berlin, CVK, Berlin, Germany

    Stefan Ehrlich, Roland Burghardt, Regina Schott, Nora Schneider, Simone Brockhaus & Ulrike Lehmkuhl

  2. Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité, Universitätsmedizin Berlin, CCM, Berlin, Germany

    Stefan Ehrlich, Leonora Franke, Jakob Hein & Ralf Uebelhack

  3. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany

    Susann Scherag

  4. Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, CNY Building 120, Suite 100, Charlestown, MA, 02129-2000, USA

    Stefan Ehrlich

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  1. Stefan Ehrlich
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Ehrlich, S., Franke, L., Scherag, S. et al. The 5-HTTLPR polymorphism, platelet serotonin transporter activity and platelet serotonin content in underweight and weight-recovered females with anorexia nervosa. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 260, 483–490 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-009-0092-3

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