Salivary prostaglandin concentrations: possible state indicators for major depression.

Salivary prostaglandin concentrations were determined in 42 patients with major depressive disorder, 16 patients with minor depressive disorder, and 39 healthy control subjects. The diagnoses were made according to the Research Diagnostic Criteria. The patients with major depressive disorder had higher salivary prostaglandin concentrations than the control subjects, but the patients with minor depressive disorder did not. Furthermore, the salivary prostaglandin concentrations of the patients with major depressive disorder showed a high correlation with the severity of the depression. These results suggest that high salivary prostaglandin concentrations may be state indicators for major depression.