Published online Aug 19, 2023. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v13.i8.524
Peer-review started: May 17, 2023
First decision: July 4, 2023
Revised: July 5, 2023
Accepted: July 27, 2023
Article in press: July 27, 2023
Published online: August 19, 2023
Antidepressants, particularly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, are currently considered the first-line treatment for panic disorder (PD). However, little is known about the relationship between the biomarkers that may predict better treatment.
To compare genome-wide methylation and gene expression patterns between responsive and non-responsive patients with PD after 4 wk of escitalopram treatment.
Thirty patients with PD were enrolled in this study (responders = 13; non-responders = 17). All patients were assessed using the PD Severity Scale-Chinese version before and after treatment. The Illumina Infinium MethylationEPIC (850k) BeadChip for genome-wide methylation screening and mRNA sequencing was used in all patients with PD.
A total of 701 differentially methylated positions (DMPs) were found between responders and non-responders (|Δβ| ≥ 0.06, q < 0.05), and the hyper- and hypomethylated CpG sites were 511 (72.9%) and 190 (27.1%), respectively. Relative to non-responders, there were 59 differential transcripts, of which 20 were downregulated and 39 were upregulated (q < 0.05). However, no differentially expressed genes were identified by mRNA sequencing after correcting for multiple testing (|log2(FC)| > 1, q > 0.05).
This preliminary study showed that DMPs might be associated with the treatment response to escitalopram in PD; however, these DMPs need to be verified in large samples.
Core Tip: No genome-wide methylation studies or mRNA sequencing have been conducted to identify early response biomarkers in patients with panic disorder (PD). This study aimed to compare genome-wide methylation and gene expression patterns between responsive and non-responsive patients with PD after 4 wk of escitalopram treatment. A total of 701 differentially methylated positions (DMPs) were found between responders and non-responders, and the hyper- and hypomethylated CpG sites were 511 (72.9%) and 190 (27.1%), respectively. This preliminary study showed that DMPs might be associated with the treatment response to escitalopram in PD.