Lithium and antidepressants: inhibiting eicosanoids, stimulating immunity, and defeating microorganisms.
Infection-emerging, reemerging, antibiotic-resistant, and bioengineered-increasingly threatens mankind. It is widely assumed that immunostimulating agents, were they to exist, would be ideal in battling microorganisms. Various investigators have established lithium and antidepressants as immunostimulants and antimicrobials and they have identified the mechanisms involved. Eicosanoids both depress immunity and activate microorganisms and lithium and antidepressants oppose eicosanoids. Such philosophers of science as Paul Feyerabend have argued that special interests invariably oppose revolutionary paradigms.
julianlieb@aol.com
Julian
J
Lieb
D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003863:Depression / Q000276:immunology; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D015777:Eicosanoids / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D006801:Humans; D008094:Lithium / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D010272:Parasitic Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014780:Viruses / Q000187:drug effects*
D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D015777:Eicosanoids; D008094:Lithium