Monitoring Method for Major Depressive Disorder Based on Regulatory T Cell Testing

Jin Kai; Huang Jing; Chen Hele

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1004-5775.2025.24.016

Abstract：Objective:To explore the application value of regulatory T cells in monitoring major depressive disorder.Methods:A total of 100 patients with depression admitted to or receiving outpatient treatment at a psychiatric specialty hospital between December 2022 and April 2024 were selected as the observation group.Concurrently,60 healthy individuals undergoing routine physical examinations were randomly selected as the control group.Both groups underwent regulatory T cell testing and the results were observed for their diagnostic value in severe depression.Results:The number of CD4+CD25+Treg cells and their proportion among CD4+T cells were significantly lower in the observation group than in the control group,with statistically significant differences(P＜0.001).The cytokine levels of interleukin(IL)-1βand IL-6,as well as the mitochondrial damage indices of Th and Ts cells,were significantly higher in the observation group than in the control group,while the CD3+cell count,CD3+CD4+cell count,and CD4+/CD8+ratio were lower than in the control group,with all differences statistically significant(P＜0.001).Conclusion:Given the demonstrated efficacy of regulatory T cells in monitoring major depressive disorder,they not only reflect the immune status of patients with depression but also serve as a crucial reference for evaluating treatment outcomes.