Elevated cytokine expression in the orbitofrontal cortex of victims of suicide.
OBJECTIVE
Based on the reported association between cytokines with depression and suicide, and evidence of increased markers of inflammation in the brain of suicide victims, the present study examined the expression of cytokines in the orbitofrontal cortex of suicide victims.


METHODS
In a postmortem sample obtained from the Brodman area 11 of suicides (n = 34) and controls (n = 17), real-time RT-PCR was used to compare the expression of mRNA species for tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin (IL)-1 beta, 4, 5, 6, and 13.


RESULTS
Increased expression of IL-4 was found in women suicide victims and IL-13 in men suicide victims. Elevated but not significant cytokine expression was also observed for TNF-alpha in women suicide victims.


CONCLUSIONS
To our knowledge, these results provide the first evidence of the presence of mRNA transcripts of type 2 T-helper cytokines in the human orbitofrontal cortex and their increased expression in the brain of suicides.
Tonelli
L H
LH
Mood and Anxiety Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA. Ltonelli@psych.umaryland.edu
Stiller
J
J
Rujescu
D
D
Giegling
I
I
Schneider
B
B
Maurer
K
K
Schnabel
A
A
Möller
H-J
HJ
Chen
H H
HH
Postolache
T T
TT
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002423:Cause of Death; D016207:Cytokines / Q000235:genetics*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000276:immunology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D018793:Interleukin-13 / Q000235:genetics; D053583:Interleukin-1beta / Q000235:genetics; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000235:genetics; D015848:Interleukin-5 / Q000235:genetics; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D012016:Reference Values; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012737:Sex Factors; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000235:genetics
D016207:Cytokines; D018793:Interleukin-13; D053583:Interleukin-1beta; D015848:Interleukin-5; D015850:Interleukin-6; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D015847:Interleukin-4