Serum interleukin-18 levels are elevated in schizophrenia.
Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is a recently discovered proinflammatory cytokine which plays a pivotal role in T helper 1 (Th1) responses. IL-18 is produced by macrophage-like cells, and inappropriate IL-18 production has been known to be involved in immunological disturbances. Schizophrenia is a common disease whose pathogenesis is still unclear; however, an activation of the inflammatory response system, including the Th1 cytokine response, may be related to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. We measured the serum IL-18 levels of 66 schizophrenics and age- and sex-matched control subjects by using an ELISA assay. We found significantly increased serum IL-18 levels in the schizophrenic patients (P=0.0002). This finding supports the hypothesis that immune activation is involved in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.
Tanaka
K F
KF
Department of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University, School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, 160-8582, Tokyo, Japan. tanaka@med.keio.ac.jp
Shintani
F
F
Fujii
Y
Y
Yagi
G
G
Asai
M
M
D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D020382:Interleukin-18 / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology*
D016207:Cytokines; D020382:Interleukin-18