Caspase Activity and Expression in Lymphocytes of Patients with Borderline Personality Disorders

Abstract

The pathogenesis of borderline personality disorders remains obscure. Depression is one of most common representatives of this group of diseases. Recently, we showed that the development of depression is accompanied by specific changes in the immune system. In the lymphocytes of patients with depression, the activities of apoptotic proteases of caspase family increase with increasing severity of depression, which may be indicative of augmented death of these cells [1]. Our goal was to explore the mechanisms of activation of caspases in this situation and study the expression of caspase family proteins in lymphocytes of patients with depression. Changes in the activity of caspase family enzymes in the lymphocytes of patients with depression were not accompanied by alterations in the expression of the respective proteins. Thus, in depression, the mechanism of lymphocyte caspase activity control is disturbed, but not expression of caspases.