Plasma interleukin-18 levels in patients with psychiatric disorders.
There are an increasing number of reports on an association between the alteration of circulating cytokine levels and pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders. Plasma concentrations of interleukin (IL)-18 were measured in 13 nonmedicated patients with psychiatric disorders. There was a significant elevation of IL-18 levels in patients with major depression (n = 8) and panic disorder (n = 5), compared with normal controls. The mean IL-18 value of our psychiatric patients was comparable with that of various somatic disorders reported. We suggest that the elevation of plasma IL-18 levels reflects the increased production and release of IL-18 in the central nervous system under stressful settings. We propose that the measurement of IL-18 plasma levels may provide a useful index for the involvement of immune system in psychiatric disorders.
Kokai
Masahiro
M
Department of Neuropsychiatry, Institute for Advanced Medical Science, Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya, Japan.
Kashiwamura
Shin-ichiro
S
Okamura
Haruki
H
Ohara
Kazuyuki
K
Morita
Yoshio
Y
D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020382:Interleukin-18 / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D016584:Panic Disorder / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology; D011336:Probability; D011379:Prognosis; D012016:Reference Values; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D015415:Biomarkers; D020382:Interleukin-18