JOURNAL OF A FFECTIV E DISORDERS ELSEVIER Journal of Affective Disorders 38 (I 996) 35-46 Research report Fatty acid composition in major depression: decreased 03 fractions in cholesteryl esters and increased C20 : 406/C20 : 5 03 ratio in cholesteryl esters and phospholipids Michael Maes a9b-c9 * , Ronald Smith d, Armand Christophe e, Paul Cosyns ‘, Roger Desnyder a, Herbert Meltzer b a Clinical Reseurch Center, Mental Health, University Department zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHG of Psych&try, AZ Stuivenberg, 267 Lunge Beeldekensstraut, 2060 Antwerp, Belgium b Department of Psychiatry, CWRU. Clevelund. OH, USA ’ Department of Psychiatry, University Hospitul of Antwerp, Edegem, Belgium ’ Sierra Pacific Seminars, Modesto, USA e Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, University Hospital of Ghent, Ghent. Belgium Received 14 September 1995; revised 9 November 1995; accepted 9 November I995 Abstract Recently, there were some reports that major depression may be accompanied by alterations in serum total cholesterol, cholesterol ester and 03 essential fatty acid levels and by an increased C20: 406/C20: 503, i.e., arachidonic acid/eicosapentaenoic, ratio. The present study aimed to examine fatty acid composition of serum cholesteryl esters and phospholipids in 36 major depressed, 14 minor depressed and 24 normal subjects. Individual saturated (e.g., C 14: 0; C 16 : 0, Cl8 : 0) and unsaturated (e.g., Cl8 : 1, Cl8 : 2; C20: 4) fatty acids in phospholipid and cholesteryl ester fractions were assayed and the sums of the percentages of w6 and ~3, saturated, branched chain and odd chain fatty acids, monoenes as well as the ratios w6/w3 and C20: 406/C20: 5~3 were calculated. Major depressed subjects had significantly higher C20: 4w6/C20: 503 ratio in both serum cholesteryl esters and phospholipids and a significantly increased w6/03 ratio in cholesteryl ester fraction than healthy volunteers and minor depressed subjects. Major depressed subjects had significantly lower Cl8 : 3~3 in cholesteryl esters than normal controls. Major depressed subjects showed significantly lower total 03 polyunsaturated fatty acids in cholesteryl esters and significantly lower C20: 50~3 in serum cholesteryl esters and phospholipids than minor depressed subjects and healthy controls. These findings suggest an abnormal intake or metabolism of essential fatty acids in conjunction with decreased formation of cholesteryl esters in major depression. Keywords: Depression; Cholesterol; Phospholipid; Cholesteryl ester; 03 and 06; Polyunsatw&d and saturated fatty acid; Setotonin 1. Introduction * Corresponding author. Recently, it has been hypothesized that abnormali- ties in fatty acid composition may play a role in psychiatric disorders, including depression (Horro- 0165-0327/96,/$15.00 0 1996 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved SSDI 0165-0327(95)00092-5