title: Levels of serum interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1beta, tumour necrosis factor-alpha and leptin and their correlation in depression.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the relationship between leptin and cytokines in depressed patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-three unmedicated patients (24 female, nine male) with depressive disorder and 23 healthy controls (16 female, seven male) were assessed for serum levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1beta, tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and leptin.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Levels of IL-6 and TNF-alpha in depressed patients were higher than in normal controls. There were significantly lower leptin levels in depressed patients than in normal controls. There were also significant differences in the leptin levels, being higher in female than in male patients, and in female than in male controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  IL-6 and TNF-alpha cytokines and leptin are important in the psychoimmunology of depressed patients. There were gender differences in leptin levels in depression.
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Institute of the 2nd Xiangya Hospital, Central Southern University, Changsha, China.
authors.forename: Kun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Guangrong
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Zhongxing
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Changhong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Wenbo
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Weiqiang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Yanqing
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053583:Interleukin-1beta / Q000097:blood*; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood*; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010343:Patient Admission; D012016:Reference Values; D012737:Sex Factors; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D053583:Interleukin-1beta; D015850:Interleukin-6; D020738:Leptin; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha