title: Immune consequences of the spontaneous pro-inflammatory status in depressed elderly patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of the study was to describe the interrelationship between senescence, depression, and immunity.
  
  
  METHODS
  We assessed 10 elderly patients with depression and 10 age- and sex-matched controls: before, at one and at six month intervals after the anti-influenza vaccination. Levels of TNFalpha, IL6, ACTH, and cortisol, titres of anti-hemagglutinins and anti-neuraminidases, lymphocytes secreting IFNgamma, IL2, IL4, and IL10, cytotoxicity of NK and CD3+ CD8+ IFNgamma+ cells, anti-CMV antibodies, and CD28- CD57+ lymphocytes known to be associated with the CMV carrier status were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Higher levels of anti-CMV, higher percentage of the CD28- CD57+ cells, and elevated levels of TNFalpha, IL6, and cortisol concomitant with decreased levels of ACTH and insufficient production of IL10 (which increased the IFNgamma+ /IL10+ ratio) were found in the patients suffering from depression, in comparison to healthy controls. The subjects with depression revealed a low NK cytotoxicity, while a level of CD3+ CD8+ IFNgamma+ cells was comparable between the groups. Although the levels of anti-hemagglutinins and anti-neuraminidases were low in the depressed patients, they reached the protective titres. The majority of these differences disappeared when CMV titres were entered into the analyses as a covariate.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that the elderly depressed patients were characterised by increased exposure to CMV in the past, which could have resulted in a pro-inflammatory profile demonstrated as elevated levels of TNFalpha, IL6 and deficiency of suppressive IL10+ cells. These changes negatively affect humoral and innate response in the depressed patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology and Immunology, Medical University of Gdańsk, Ul. Debinki 1, 80-211 Gdańsk, Poland. ptrzon@amedec.amg.gda.pl
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Trzonkowski
authors.forename: Jolanta
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Myśliwska
authors.forename: Beata
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Godlewska
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Szmit
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Łukaszuk
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wieckiewicz
authors.forename: Lidia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Brydak
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Machała
authors.forename: Jerzy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Landowski
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Myśliwski
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D000906:Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000276:immunology; D018106:CD28 Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D002353:Carrier State; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000276:immunology*; D003863:Depression / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D007114:Immunization; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000097:blood; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000097:blood; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D016555:Matched-Pair Analysis; D008875:Middle Aged; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D018106:CD28 Antigens; D016207:Cytokines; D007252:Influenza Vaccines; D007375:Interleukin-1; D015850:Interleukin-6; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D016753:Interleukin-10; D006854:Hydrocortisone