Decreased Serum Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF) in Individuals with Depression Correlates with Severity of Disease

AIM To assess serum Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF) levels in individuals with depression and to test the hypothesis that there is a relationship between severity of depression and HGF concentration. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Serum from 26 clinically depressed individuals and 19 controls were tested for serum HGF using ELISAs. Correlation was established between HGF concentration and disease severity. RESULTS Depressed individuals had significantly lower serum levels of HGF compared to controls (P < 0.0001). HGF concentration correlated with overall depressive behavior (P = 0.03) and specifically depression (P = 0.02), but not anxiety (P = 0.36). DISCUSSION These results suggest an association between HGF serum levels and clinically depressed individuals and demonstrate a correlation between severity of depression and HGF levels. Further studies of the predictive strength of HGF as a biomarker for depression may be warranted.