Cognitive psychotherapy treatment decreases peripheral oxidative stress parameters associated with major depression disorder

•Major depressive disorder is accompanied by the increase in oxidative stress parameters.•Cognitive psychotherapy is effective to counteract the peripheral oxidative stress.•Cognitive psychotherapy reduced TBARS and NO levels, as well increase thiol groups.

IntroductionStudies have already pointed out the contribution of oxidative stress in the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD). The aim of the present study was to investigate the oxidative-antioxidative systems in MDD and in response to cognitive psychotherapies. Oxidative stress were analyzed in 49 MDD patients at baseline, post-treatment, and follow-up; and 49 control subjects without history of psychiatric disorders.ResultsMDD subjects presented an increase in oxidative damage related to control subjects for thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS), nitric oxide, and a decrease in total thiol content. Cognitive psychotherapies were able to counteract peripheral oxidative stress in MDD patients, reducing TBARS levels (p < 0.001) in the follow-up, nitric oxide (p < 0.001) in the post-treatment and follow-up, and increasing the total thiol content (p < 0.01) in the post-treatment and follow-up.ConclusionOxidative stress was associated with MDD and the regulation of these parameters might represent an important mechanism associated with the clinical improvement of cognitive psychotherapy.