miRNAs in Major Depression: Possible Association of miR-17 and miR-92 with Childhood Traumas
Alper Mert1, Bengu Yucens2, Ege Riza Karagur3, Hakan Akca3, Selim Tumkaya2, Figen Culha Atesci4
1Department of Psychiatry, Servergazi State Hospital, Denizli, Türkiye
2Department of Psychiatry, Pamukkale University Faculty of Medicine, Denizli, Türkiye
3Department of Medical Genetics, Pamukkale University Faculty of Medicine, Denizli, Türkiye
4Private Practice, Denizli, Türkiye
Correspondence to: Bengu Yucens
Department of Psychiatry, Pamukkale University Faculty of Medicine, Denizli 20160, Türkiye
E-mail: dr.bengubaz@yahoo.com
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4721-7288

Alper Mert’s current affiliation is Department of Psychiatry, Nazilli State Hospital, Aydin, Türkiye.
Received: July 8, 2024; Revised: October 5, 2024; Accepted: October 14, 2024; Published online: November 12, 2024.
© The Korean College of Neuropsychopharmacology. All rights reserved.

This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
Objective: Psychosocial and genetic factors are considered to play roles in the etiological mechanisms of major depressive disorder (MDD). The involvement of miRNAs in the etiopathogenesis of depression and childhood traumas is still unclear. This study aims to reveal potential differences in miRNA levels between patients with depression and healthy individuals and assess their connection to childhood traumas.
Methods: This study included fifty patients with MDD and 33 healthy controls. The targeting of the 3’UTR regions of the BDNF, SLC6A4/SERT/5-HTT, HTR1a, and HTR2a genes by 8 miRNAs was analyzed to explore their potential involvement in depression and childhood traumas. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-28 were administered to the participants.
Results: Patients with MDD exhibited significantly lower expression levels of miR-335 and miR-4775, as well as significantly higher expression levels of miR-15, miR-16, miR-17, miR-92, miR-182, and miR-206, when compared to healthy controls using the 2−(ΔΔCt) method. Only miR-17 and miR-92 were associated with childhood traumas in the patients with depression.
Conclusion: Our research reveals a possible involvement of miRNAs in the pathophysiology of depression and highlights a potential relationship between childhood traumas and specific miRNAs in depressed patients.
Keywords: Depressive disorder, major; MicroRNAs; Genetics; Adverse childhood experiences

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