Depression is highly prevalent in coronary artery disease (CAD) and confers an increased risk of morbidity and mortality, yet mechanisms are unknown. Platelet activating factor (PAF) lipids are associated not only with CAD but also with inflammation, oxidative/nitrosative stress, vascular endothelial dysfunction and platelet reactivity which are proposed etiopathological mechanisms for depression. This study investigated the relationship between PAF species and depressive symptoms in 20 CAD patients. Plasma analyses were performed using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (precursor ion scan). Primary analysis revealed no association between the potent pro-inflammatory PAF PC(O-16:0/2:0) and depressive symptoms measured by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale [HAM-D] (F=0.405, p=0.533) or Beck Depression Inventory [BDI]-II (F=0.120, p=0.733) in a linear regression. Exploratory analyses revealed potential associations between greater PC(O-18:1/0:0) and greater HAM-D score and greater PC(O-22:6/2:0) concentrations with a greater BDI-II score. This study suggests that specific PAFs might be biomarkers for depressive symptoms in CAD patients.

Depression is highly prevalent in coronary artery disease (CAD) and confers an increased risk of morbidity and mortality, yet mechanisms are unknown. Platelet activating factor (PAF) lipids are associated not only with CAD but also with inflammation, oxidative/nitrosative stress, vascular endothelial dysfunction and platelet reactivity which are proposed etiopathological mechanisms for depression. This study investigated the relationship between PAF species and depressive symptoms in 20 CAD patients. Plasma analyses were performed using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (precursor ion scan). Primary analysis revealed no association between the potent pro-inflammatory PAF PC(O-16:0/2:0) and depressive symptoms measured by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale [HAM-D] (F=0.405, p=0.533) or Beck Depression Inventory [BDI]-II (F=0.120, p=0.733) in a linear regression. Exploratory analyses revealed potential associations between greater PC(O-18:1/0:0) and greater HAM-D score and greater PC(O-22:6/2:0) concentrations with a greater BDI-II score. This study suggests that specific PAFs might be biomarkers for depressive symptoms in CAD patients.