#AI Reads Urine# The association between urinary antibiotics levels and the risk of adolescent depression.
Published 16 July, 2025
This study aimed to assess the association between antibiotic exposure and the risk of depression in adolescents. It recruited 62 adolescents, divided into 30 depressed patients and 32 healthy controls. Morning urine samples were collected from them, and the levels of four common antibiotics (azithromycin, sulfadimidine, ofloxacin, and ampicillin) in the samples were detected using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The results showed that the levels of these four antibiotics in the depression group were significantly higher than those in the healthy group, and they were positively correlated with the scores of the Hamilton Anxiety Scale and the Hamilton Depression Scale. These four antibiotics were all risk factors for depression in adolescents, among which ampicillin had the highest odds ratio. The combined detection of the four antibiotics showed the best performance in predicting adolescent depression, with an area under the curve of 0.814. The study indicated that antibiotic exposure is a modifiable risk factor for adolescent depression, and urinary antibiotic levels, especially when detected in combination, have the potential to be used as a screening tool for the risk of adolescent depression. However, the study has limitations such as a cross-sectional design, a small sample size, and the use of only a single morning urine sample for assessment, which require further research for verification.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jul 6;15(1):24093. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-09687-4.
The association between urinary antibiotics levels and the risk of adolescent depression
Youhe Gao
Statement: During the preparation of this work the author(s) used Doubao / AI reading for summarizing the content. After using this tool/service, the author(s) reviewed and edited the content as needed and take(s) full responsibility for the content of the published article.
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