---
_id: '32327'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: '<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>There is preliminary evidence that
    adrenal steroids other than cortisol may be valuable biomarkers for major depressive
    disorder (MDD). So far, studies have been conducted in adults only, and conclusions
    are limited, mainly due to small sample sizes. Therefore, the present study assessed
    whether adrenal steroids serve as biomarkers for adolescent MDD. In 261 depressed
    adolescents (170 females) treated at a single psychiatric hospital, serum adrenal
    steroids (progesterone, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, 21-deoxycortisol, 11-deoxycortisol,
    cortisol, cortisone, deoxycorticosterone, corticosterone) were determined by liquid
    chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Findings were compared to that of an
    age- and sex-matched reference cohort (<jats:italic>N</jats:italic> = 255) by
    nonparametric analysis of variance. Nonparametric receiver operating characteristics
    (ROC) analyses were conducted to evaluate the diagnostic performance of single
    steroids and steroid ratios to classify depression status. Sensitivity analyses
    considered important confounders of adrenal functioning, and ROC results were
    verified by cross-validation. Compared to the reference cohort, levels of deoxycorticosterone
    and 21-deoxycortisol were decreased (<jats:italic>P</jats:italic> &lt; 0.001).
    All other glucocorticoid- and mineralocorticoid-related steroids were increased
    (<jats:italic>P</jats:italic> &lt; 0.001). The corticosterone to deoxycorticosterone
    ratio evidenced excellent classification characteristics, especially in females
    (AUC: 0.957; sensitivity: 0.902; specificity: 0.891). The adrenal steroid metabolome
    qualifies as a bio-readout reflecting adolescent MDD by a distinct steroid pattern
    that indicates dysfunction of the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal axis. Moreover,
    the corticosterone to deoxycorticosterone ratio may prospectively qualify to contribute
    to precision medicine in psychiatry by identifying those patients who might benefit
    from antiglucocorticoid treatment or those at risk for recurrence when adrenal
    dysfunction has not resolved.</jats:p>'
article_number: '255'
author:
- first_name: Raphael
  full_name: Hirtz, Raphael
  last_name: Hirtz
- first_name: Lars
  full_name: Libuda, Lars
  id: '88682'
  last_name: Libuda
  orcid: 0000-0003-1603-3133
- first_name: Anke
  full_name: Hinney, Anke
  last_name: Hinney
- first_name: Manuel
  full_name: Föcker, Manuel
  last_name: Föcker
- first_name: Judith
  full_name: Bühlmeier, Judith
  id: '89838'
  last_name: Bühlmeier
- first_name: Paul-Martin
  full_name: Holterhus, Paul-Martin
  last_name: Holterhus
- first_name: Alexandra
  full_name: Kulle, Alexandra
  last_name: Kulle
- first_name: Cordula
  full_name: Kiewert, Cordula
  last_name: Kiewert
- first_name: Berthold P.
  full_name: Hauffa, Berthold P.
  last_name: Hauffa
- first_name: Johannes
  full_name: Hebebrand, Johannes
  last_name: Hebebrand
- first_name: Corinna
  full_name: Grasemann, Corinna
  last_name: Grasemann
citation:
  ama: 'Hirtz R, Libuda L, Hinney A, et al. The adrenal steroid profile in adolescent
    depression: a valuable bio-readout? <i>Translational Psychiatry</i>. 2022;12(1).
    doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-022-01966-2">10.1038/s41398-022-01966-2</a>'
  apa: 'Hirtz, R., Libuda, L., Hinney, A., Föcker, M., Bühlmeier, J., Holterhus, P.-M.,
    Kulle, A., Kiewert, C., Hauffa, B. P., Hebebrand, J., &#38; Grasemann, C. (2022).
    The adrenal steroid profile in adolescent depression: a valuable bio-readout?
    <i>Translational Psychiatry</i>, <i>12</i>(1), Article 255. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-022-01966-2">https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-022-01966-2</a>'
  bibtex: '@article{Hirtz_Libuda_Hinney_Föcker_Bühlmeier_Holterhus_Kulle_Kiewert_Hauffa_Hebebrand_et
    al._2022, title={The adrenal steroid profile in adolescent depression: a valuable
    bio-readout?}, volume={12}, DOI={<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-022-01966-2">10.1038/s41398-022-01966-2</a>},
    number={1255}, journal={Translational Psychiatry}, publisher={Springer Science
    and Business Media LLC}, author={Hirtz, Raphael and Libuda, Lars and Hinney, Anke
    and Föcker, Manuel and Bühlmeier, Judith and Holterhus, Paul-Martin and Kulle,
    Alexandra and Kiewert, Cordula and Hauffa, Berthold P. and Hebebrand, Johannes
    and et al.}, year={2022} }'
  chicago: 'Hirtz, Raphael, Lars Libuda, Anke Hinney, Manuel Föcker, Judith Bühlmeier,
    Paul-Martin Holterhus, Alexandra Kulle, et al. “The Adrenal Steroid Profile in
    Adolescent Depression: A Valuable Bio-Readout?” <i>Translational Psychiatry</i>
    12, no. 1 (2022). <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-022-01966-2">https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-022-01966-2</a>.'
  ieee: 'R. Hirtz <i>et al.</i>, “The adrenal steroid profile in adolescent depression:
    a valuable bio-readout?,” <i>Translational Psychiatry</i>, vol. 12, no. 1, Art.
    no. 255, 2022, doi: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-022-01966-2">10.1038/s41398-022-01966-2</a>.'
  mla: 'Hirtz, Raphael, et al. “The Adrenal Steroid Profile in Adolescent Depression:
    A Valuable Bio-Readout?” <i>Translational Psychiatry</i>, vol. 12, no. 1, 255,
    Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2022, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-022-01966-2">10.1038/s41398-022-01966-2</a>.'
  short: R. Hirtz, L. Libuda, A. Hinney, M. Föcker, J. Bühlmeier, P.-M. Holterhus,
    A. Kulle, C. Kiewert, B.P. Hauffa, J. Hebebrand, C. Grasemann, Translational Psychiatry
    12 (2022).
date_created: 2022-07-06T15:14:39Z
date_updated: 2023-01-06T11:48:51Z
department:
- _id: '35'
doi: 10.1038/s41398-022-01966-2
intvolume: '        12'
issue: '1'
keyword:
- Biological Psychiatry
- Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
- Psychiatry and Mental health
language:
- iso: eng
publication: Translational Psychiatry
publication_identifier:
  issn:
  - 2158-3188
publication_status: published
publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
status: public
title: 'The adrenal steroid profile in adolescent depression: a valuable bio-readout?'
type: journal_article
user_id: '88682'
volume: 12
year: '2022'
...