Exploring bidirectional causal relationships between ulcerative colitis and depression via the gut-brain axis: A Mendelian randomization study with plasma protein mediator analysis - PubMed
14 hours ago
- #depression
- #ulcerative-colitis
- #gut-brain-axis
- Study explores bidirectional causal relationships between ulcerative colitis (UC) and depression via the gut-brain axis (GBA).
- Mendelian randomization (MR) and plasma proteomics used to identify key mediating proteins.
- Bidirectional MR confirmed significant causal effects between UC and depression.
- Identified 108 depression-associated proteins linked to UC and 17 UC-associated proteins tied to depression.
- Key mediators identified: Ezrin (EZR) and albumin (ALB).
- Reduced EZR in UC with depression (UCD) colonic mucosa vs. UC without depression (UCN).
- Elevated ALB in UCD, positively correlated with depressive severity.
- Provides potential biomarkers for comorbidity risk stratification and therapeutic targets.
- Offers mechanistic insights into UC-depression comorbidity.