Maes, Michael, Mihaylova, Ivana, Kubera, Marta et al. · Neuro endocrinology letters · 2008
This study looked for signs of damage from harmful molecules called nitrosative stress in people with ME/CFS and depression. Researchers found that people with ME/CFS and depression had higher levels of immune antibodies (IgM) attacking damaged proteins, suggesting their bodies are being harmed by these harmful molecules more than healthy people. The study also found a connection between this damage and leaky gut, where bacteria products leak through the intestinal barrier.
This study provides biological evidence that ME/CFS and depression share a common underlying mechanism involving cellular damage from harmful molecules, rather than being separate conditions. If validated, identifying and treating nitrosative stress could offer a new therapeutic target benefiting patients with both conditions, and may help explain why these illnesses often occur together.
This study does not prove that nitrosative stress causes ME/CFS or depression—it only shows an association. The cross-sectional design means we cannot determine whether the immune response is a cause or consequence of illness. The small sample size and lack of longitudinal follow-up limit the ability to generalize findings or establish temporal relationships.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Maes, Michael, Mihaylova, Ivana, Kubera, Marta, & Leunis, Jean-Claude (2008). An IgM-mediated immune response directed against nitro-bovine serum albumin (nitro-BSA) in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and major depression: evidence that nitrosative stress is another factor underpinning the comorbidity between major depression and CFS.. Neuro endocrinology letters. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18580855/
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-maes-2008-igm-mediated,
author = {Maes, Michael and Mihaylova, Ivana and Kubera, Marta and Leunis, Jean-Claude},
title = {An IgM-mediated immune response directed against nitro-bovine serum albumin (nitro-BSA) in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and major depression: evidence that nitrosative stress is another factor underpinning the comorbidity between major depression and CFS.},
journal = {Neuro endocrinology letters},
year = {2008},
note = {PubMed: 18580855},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/maes-2008-igm-mediated},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/maes-2008-igm-mediated
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