Major Depression (MD) is a common mental disorder. In East Asian ancestry, the association, causality, and shared genetic basis between blood-based biomarkers and MD remain unclear.
We investigated the relationships between blood-based biomarkers and MD through a cross-sectional study and Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. Cross-trait analysis and enrichment analyses were used to highlight the shared genetic determinants and biological pathways. We conducted summary data–based MR to identify shared genes, which were then validated using a transcriptome dataset from drug-naïve patients with MD.
In the cross-sectional study, C-Reactive Protein showed the significantly positive correlation with depressive symptoms, while hematocrit, hemoglobin, and uric acid exhibited significantly negative correlations. In MR analysis, basophil count (BASO) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc) had a significant causal effect on MD. The enrichment analysis indicated a significant role of inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress. The shared genes
This study highlighted that BASO and LDLc have a causal effect on MD in East Asian ancestry. The pathological mechanisms of MD are related not only to inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress but also to down regulation of