title: Mitogen-stimulated lymphocyte proliferation and pituitary hormones in major depression.
abstract: To assess cellular immune status and the hypothalamic-pituitary (HP) axis in patients with major depression, we examined peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and measured the plasma levels of cortisol, adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH), growth hormone (GH), and prolactin (PRL). Twenty patients with major depression were compared with 20 control subjects matched for age, sex, and race. The dose-response curves for concanavalin-A (Con-A) and phytohemagglutinin (PHA) stimulation were not significantly different between the two groups. The patients had decreased Con-A-stimulated T-lymphocyte proliferation when compared to the control subjects, but only at the lowest suboptimal concentration of Con-A. None of the four concentrations of PHA-stimulated proliferation were different between the two groups, neither was PHA-induced interleukin-2 production. Within the patient group only, plasma prolactin (PRL) correlated significantly with stimulated lymphocyte proliferation using two optimal concentrations of PHA and one optimal concentration of Con-A, when the proliferation was expressed using the stimulation index.
authors.affiliation: San Diego Veterans Administration Medical Center, CA 92161.
authors.forename: D F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Darko
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Gillin
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Risch
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bulloch
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Golshan
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Tasevska
authors.forename: R N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Hamburger
mesh_terms: D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000097:blood; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000276:immunology* / Q000523:psychology; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008875:Middle Aged; D011388:Prolactin / Q000097:blood; D011581:Psychological Tests; D011598:Psychoneuroimmunology
chemical_list: D007376:Interleukin-2; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D011388:Prolactin; D013006:Growth Hormone; D006854:Hydrocortisone