Hiperagregabilidade plaquetária e depressão: é o óxido nítrico o mensageiro comum?

• Autor(a) principal: Oliveira, Monique Bezerra
• Data de Publicação: 2012
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Biblioteca Digital de Teses e Dissertações da UERJ
• Texto Completo: http://www.bdtd.uerj.br/handle/1/7832
• topic: Nitric oxide; Arginase; Oxidative stress; Platelets; Major depression; Óxido nítrico; Arginase; Estresse oxidativo; Plaquetas; Depressão maior; Depressão mental; Plaquetas (Sangue); Depressão; Transtorno depressivo maior; Antioxidantes; Mecanismos moleculares de ação farmacológica; CNPQ::CIENCIAS BIOLOGICAS

Depression is a serious disease that is becoming increasingly prevalent in the world and in Brazil. According to World Health Organization (WHO), it is fourth cause of disability and it is estimated that in 2020 will occupy the second place, only after cardiovascular diseases (CVD), which are the main cause of death worldwide. The major depressive disorder (MDD) is characterized by depressed mood, intense sadness or discouragement or loss of interest or pleasure in almost all activities for at least 2 weeks. Moreover, it has high cardiovascular mortality rate, and this association seems to be multifactorial and complex, which is not completely elucidated. Recent studies suggest that atherothrombosis occurrence and cardiovascular events in MDD are associated to a reduced nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability, a potent vasodilator, inhibitor of platelet aggregation and neurotransmissor. NO is formed from L-arginine by a family of enzymes called NO synthases increasing cGMP concentration which is degraded by phosphodiesterases (PDE). L-arginine is also consumed in pathways other than NO production, such as arginase. Oxidative stress participates in the development of cardiovascular and psychiatric diseases, reducing NO half-life. Nine patients who met mild to moderate depression criteria from Applicated Psychology Service/UERJ and eleven healthy control subjects matched for age participated in this investigation. Ethical approval was obtained from the Pedro Ernesto Hospital Ethical Committee, UERJ (1436 - CEP/HUPE) before the beginning of the study. The aim of this study is to investigate the NO-cGMP pathway, the urea cycle, oxidative stress and inflammation in platelets and its association with platelet function in depression. The platelet aggregation, expression and activity of arginase II, expression of phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5), oxidative stress markers (TBARS production, protein carbonylation, NADPH oxidase expression and anti-oxidant enzymes glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and catalase (CAT) activities) in platelets and in serum, and systemic fibrinogen, were investigated in untreated patients with MDD (n = 9) and healthy controls (n = 11). In the present study, an increased in platelet aggregation induced by ADP was observed in patients with MDD compared to controls. An activation of arginase II in platelets without any change in its expression was demonstrated in platelets from patients with MDD. Moreover, an increase in the protein carbonylation and GPx, NADPH and PDE5 expressions were observed in platelets from patients with MDD. TBARS production, catalase and GPx activities in serum and platelets were not affected by MDD. No difference was found in fibrinogen levels between MDD patients and controls. The activation of arginase, together with oxidative stress, reduces the bioavailability of NO which can lead to platelet dysfunction in patients with MDD. The present study adds important data for understanding the cell mechanisms linking MDD and CVD. Moreover, it opens the way for the use of new pharmacological tools like antioxidants for the treatment of MDD.