Correlation between CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, mitochondrial mass, and depression

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1006-7795.2025.06.020

Abstract

Abstract: Objective To investigate the characteristics of changes in CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cell counts and mitochondrial mass(mean fluorescence intensity, MFI) in the peripheral blood of patients with depression, and to analyze their association with depression severity as assessed by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale(HAMD) .Methods A total of 31 major depressive disorder (MDD) patients and 50 healthy controls were enrolled. Flow cytometry was used to assess T-cell subsets and mitochondrial quality. Welch’s t-tests and Mann-Whitney U tests were applied for group comparisons; Pearson correlation and FDR correction were used for association analyses. Multiple linear regression evaluated independent predictors of HAMD scores. Results CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T-cell counts and MFI values were significantly reduced in MDD patients (P<0.01). CD8⁺T-cell MFI showed the strongest negative correlation with HAMD scores (R=－0.570, P<0.001). Regression analysis identified CD8⁺ MFI and CD4⁺ T-cell count as independent negative predictors of depression severity. Conclusion Reduced T-cell counts and mitochondrial quality are associated with depressive symptoms, suggesting that mitochondrial dysfunction and T-cell imbalance may contribute to MDD pathogenesis.

Key words: depression, CD4⁺T cells, CD8⁺ T cells, mitochondrial mass, immunometabolism, biomarkers

CLC Number:

R749

Sun Xuejiao , Liu Yanru , Wang Zhiren . Correlation between CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells, mitochondrial mass, and depression[J]. Journal of Capital Medical University, 2025, 46(6): 1118-1125.

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Correlation between CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells, mitochondrial mass, and depression

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