Is neuregulin-1 (NRG-1) a potential blood biomarker linking depression to obesity? A case-control study

Background and aim: No definite biomarker linking depression and obesity has been found yet. Our study aimed to investigate neuregulin-1 (NRG-1) as a potential blood biomarker for this association.

Methods: A case-control study was conducted on 108 obese subjects assigned for laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy and 100 non-obese controls. Depression was assessed pre- and post-operatively. Serum NRG-1 was measured.

Results: Pre-operatively depression was significantly higher among obese compared to non-obese patients. After the operation, 1.9% of the severely depressed subjects reported no depression, while 5.6% became moderately depressed; about 6% of the moderately depressed and 16% of the mildly depressed became not depressed. Serum NRG-1 level was significantly lower among obese and severely depressed compared to the controls. It was negatively correlated to the level of depression pre- and post-operative (r = -0.764 and -0.467 respectively). The sensitivity of serum NRG1 as a predictor for depression pre- and post-operative was 92.45% and 52.94% respectively. Specificity was 69.09% and 79.73% respectively at cut-off values of ≤ 3.5 and ≤ 2.5 ng/ml.

Conclusion: NRG-1 is a possible biomarker for the diagnosis of depression pre-bariatric surgery and the prediction of its prognosis post-operatively.