POMC and major depressive disorder: For instance, in peripheral blood samples of younger adults suffering from major depressive and anxiety disorders undergoing MI, there were no significant differences in the protein levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) (37), interleukin-8 (IL)-8 and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) (34) however, the levels of endothelial growth factor (EGF) (34), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and IL-6 (38) levels were significantly decreased from baseline to post-intervention when compared to controls.