A comparison of ghrelin, paraoxonase and arylesterase levels in psychiatric patients treated with citalopram

The energy balance-modulating hormone ghrelin transmits alters in food intake and weight gain decreases with its elevated blood concentrations. It has been reported that ghrelin-induced weight gain of body seems to be associated with lipoprotein linked paraoxonase that is a single gen product with arylesterase. The citalopram, antidepressant, seems to be also associated with weight gain. In this study, we have therefore examined blood acylated and desacylated ghrelin, paraoxonase and arylesterase concentrations changes before and after citalopram treatment and the correlations between ghrelin and weight gain in the psychiatric patients.Fasting blood samples were obtained from 24 psychiatric patients before and after citalopram treatment and 22 healthy controls. Psychiatric patients have been on 40 mg citalopram per a day for about three months. Blood acylated and desacylated ghrelin concentrations were measured by radio- immunoassay method (RIA) and paraoxonase and arylesterase activities were measured spectrophotometrically.The results revealed that acylated and desacylated ghrelin were lower (p?0.01) and ARE activity was increase (p?0.01) in psychiatric patients than in basal level, but ARE levels were recovered with treatment, and this increment showen similarities with control levels of ARE. Basal levels of ghrelin in serum were significantly higher than that of after citalopram treatment levels in psychiatric patients. However, we found no correlation among ghrelin, paraoxonase, and arylesterase concentrations and activity.Evaluated results showed that the decreased levels of ghrelin and increased activity of arylesterase might account for the weight gain in the psychiatric patients treated with citalopram, and suggests that ghrelin and arylesterase might play some important roles in the regulation of body weight in healthy human with a physiologic energy balance.Key words: Ghrelin, paraoxonase, arylesterase, citalopram, depression.