Changes in circulating cytokine levels in midlife women with psychological symptoms with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor and Japanese traditional medicine.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of the present study was to compare the effects on serum cytokine concentrations of paroxetine, a selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor, and kamishoyosan, a Japanese traditional medicine, in midlife women with psychological symptoms.


METHODS
Seventy-six women with psychological symptoms such as anxiety and mild depression as menopausal symptoms were enrolled in this study. Thirty-eight women received oral administration of 10mg paroxetine every day, and 38 women received oral administration of kamshoyosan every day for 6 months. Overall climacteric symptoms were assessed using Greene's climacteric scale. Serum levels of cytokines were measured using a multiplexed human cytokine assay.


RESULTS
Greene's total scores in both women treated with paroxetine and in women treated with kamishoyosan decreased significantly. Percentage decreases in Greene's total, psychological and vasomotor scores during the 6-month period in the paroxetine group were significantly greater than those in the kamishoyosan group. Serum IL-6 concentration in women treated with paroxetine decreased significantly. Serum concentrations of IL-8, IL-10, macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1beta and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 in women treated with paroxetine decreased significantly. On the other hand, serum IL-6 concentration in women treated with kamishoyosan decreased significantly, but other serum concentrations did not change significantly.


CONCLUSIONS
Decrease in IL-6 concentration may be involved in the mechanism of the actions of both paroxetine and kamishoyosan in women with psychological symptoms, and IL-6 may therefore be useful as a marker of treatment. The action of paroxetine may also be associated with decreases in IL-8, IL-10, MIP-1beta.
Yasui
Toshiyuki
T
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Course of Human Development, Human Development and Health Science, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, 3-18-15 Kuramoto, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan. yasui@clin.med.tokushima-u.ac.jp
Yamada
Masayo
M
Uemura
Hirokazu
H
Ueno
Shu-Ichi
S
Numata
Shusuke
S
Ohmori
Tetsuro
T
Tsuchiya
Naoko
N
Noguchi
Masamichi
M
Yuzurihara
Mitsutoshi
M
Kase
Yoshio
Y
Irahara
Minoru
M
D000284:Administration, Oral; D002979:Climacteric / Q000523:psychology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood*; D003863:Depression / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019584:Hot Flashes; D006801:Humans; D019684:Magnoliopsida; D008518:Medicine, East Asian Traditional; D008875:Middle Aged; D017374:Paroxetine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D016207:Cytokines; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D017374:Paroxetine; D010936:Plant Extracts; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors; C103354:kamisyoyo san