title: Lipopolysaccharide-induced cytokine production in obsessive-compulsive disorder and generalized social anxiety disorder.
abstract: The immune system is implicated in the pathophysiology of various psychiatric disorders. In anxiety disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and generalized social anxiety disorder (GSAD), immunological findings are equivocal and sparse. In this study, we investigated the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)- stimulated cytokine levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-8 (IL-8) by peripheral blood leukocytes in 26 OCD patients, 26 GSAD patients, and 52 healthy controls. We found that leukocytes of OCD patients produced less IL-6 compared with matched controls, whereas no cytokine differences were found between GSAD patients and matched controls. When both patient groups were compared, a trend toward lower IL-6 levels in OCD patients was observed. This supports the idea of immunological involvement in the pathophysiology of OCD and suggests that GSAD and OCD might be different in immunological respect.
authors.affiliation: The Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands. s.fluitman@umcutrecht.nl
authors.forename: Sjoerd
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fluitman
authors.forename: Damiaan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Denys
authors.forename: Nienke
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vulink
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schutters
authors.forename: Cobi
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Heijnen
authors.forename: Herman
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Westenberg
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides