title: Serum TNF-α, IL-10 and IL-2 in schizophrenic patients before and after treatment with risperidone and clozapine.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Schizophrenia is a disorder of the executive function of both sensory and central nervous system. Recent studies suggest that immune mechanisms play a role in the pathophysiology of this disease. The variations in cytokine concentrations have been associated with psychopathology and treatment of schizophrenia.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the changes in serum concentrations of TNF-α, IL-10, and IL-2 in schizophrenic patients before and 40 days after treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a case-control study, 26 schizophrenic patients and 26 healthy individuals as a control group were enrolled. PANSS scale questionnaire was used for diagnosis and assessing the severity of the disease. All patients were then treated with risperidone or clozapine for 40 days. Serum concentrations of TNF-α, IL-10 and IL-2 were measured by ELISA before and after treatment in both groups. Paired t-test and Independent t-test were used for comparison of data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Comparison of TNF-α and IL-10 concentrations in patients before and after treatment revealed a significance decrease of TNF-α and increase of IL-10 concentrations (p=0.002, and p=0.008, respectively). Serum concentrations of IL-2 were lower than the detection limit of assay and were not detectable. In comparison with healthy controls, serum concentrations of TNF-α in schizophrenic patients were higher, while IL-10 concentrations were lower before treatment although the differences were not significant (p=0.291 and p=0.375, respectively). There was no correlation between cytokine concentrations and the positive and negative scale (PANSS). Also no significant difference in the admission, relapses, and duration of illness before and after treatment was observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Increase of TNF-α and decrease of IL-10 may have an important role in psychopathology of schizophrenia.
authors.affiliation: Molecular and Cell-Biology Research Center, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran, e-mail: ajami36@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Abolghasem
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ajami
authors.forename: Farshideh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Abedian
authors.forename: Seyyed
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hamzeh Hosseini
authors.forename: Elahe
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Akbarian
authors.forename: Reza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Alizadeh-Navaei
authors.forename: Mehrdad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Taghipour
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003024:Clozapine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000097:blood*; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D018967:Risperidone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy; D012702:Serotonin Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D007376:Interleukin-2; D012702:Serotonin Antagonists; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D016753:Interleukin-10; D003024:Clozapine; D018967:Risperidone