Abstract
BACKGROUND: Perinatal depression (PD) is one of the most common complications of pregnancy, and timely diagnosis and treatment are still challenging in China due to the scarcity of psychiatrists. This study aimed to investigate whether long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are potential diagnostic biomarkers of PD. METHODS: Using RT-PCR, six downregulated major depressive disorder (MDD)-associated lncRNAs (NONSUSG010267, NONHSAT140386, NONHSAG004550, NONHSAT125420, NONHSAG013606, and NONMMUG014361) were assessed in 39 pregnant women with PD (PD group), 20 PD patients undergoing mindfulness-integrated cognitive behavior therapy (MiCBT) (treatment group (TG)), and 51 normal pregnant women (normal control (NC) group) to identify significantly differentially expressed lncRNAs during the second trimester and at 42 days postpartum. RESULTS: Compared with the NC group, the six lncRNAs were significantly downregulated in the PD group during the second trimester and at 42 days postpartum (p<0.01~0.001). Expression of NONHSAG004550 and NONHSAT125420 was significantly upregulated after MiCBT therapy in TG (p<0.01~0.001), and no significant differences were observed between TG and the NC group at 42 days postpartum (p>0.05). NONHSAG004550 and NONHSAT125420 were significantly differentially expressed in the PD group, and this expression was altered according to the amelioration of depressive symptoms. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed that the two lncRNAs combined had a good value in predicting PD, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.764 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.639-0.888). CONCLUSION: The combination of lncRNAs NONHSAG004550 and NONHSAT125420 is a novel potential diagnostic biomarker of PD.