title: The effect of antidepressants on immune function in mice.
abstract: Depression or its treatment with antidepressant agents may have an impact on the normal function of the immune system. To address this issue in an animal model, we studied the effect of maprotiline and desipramine treatment of mice on several immunological activities associated with host resistance to cancer and infections. Our results indicate that chronic maprotiline treatment depressed natural killer (NK) cell function, measured in vivo as clearance of tumor cells from the lung or in vitro as cytolytic activity. Cell-mediated immunity, measured as delayed hypersensitivity in vivo and T and B lymphocyte proliferative responses in vitro, was largely unaffected. Although antidepressant toxicity at high concentrations inhibited T, B, and NK cell activity, it is unlikely that this is the basis for the in vivo effects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Rochester, School of Medicine and Dentistry, NY.
authors.forename: J N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Eisen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Irwin
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Quay
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Livnat
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000873:Anthracenes / Q000633:toxicity*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D002460:Cell Line; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic / Q000187:drug effects; D003891:Desipramine / Q000633:toxicity*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006968:Hypersensitivity, Delayed / Q000276:immunology; D007121:Immunocompetence / Q000187:drug effects*; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000187:drug effects; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008376:Maprotiline / Q000633:toxicity*; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000873:Anthracenes; D008376:Maprotiline; D003891:Desipramine