title: A study of chemokines, chemokine receptors and interleukin-6 in patients with panic disorder, personality disorders and their co-morbidity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Stress may induce inflammatory changes in the immune system and activate pro-inflammatory cytokines and their receptors by activating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.
  
  
  METHODS
  460 hospitalized patients with panic disorders (PD) and/or personality disorders (P) were studied. The study group comprised subjects with PD, avoidant personality disorder (APD), borderline personality disorder (BPD), obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD), and concomitant (PD+APD; PD+BPD; PD+OCPD). Each study group consisted of 60 subjects (30 females and 30 males). The control group included 20 females and 20 males without any history of mental disorder. ELISA was used to assess the levels of chemokines: CCL-5/RANTES (regulated on activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted), CXCL-12/SDF-1 (stromal derived factor), their receptors CXCR-5 (C-C chemokine receptor type-5), CXCR-4 (chemokine C-X-C motif receptor-4), and IL-6.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Statistically significant differences in the levels of CCL-5 and CCR-5 were revealed between all study groups. The greatest differences were found between the groups with PD+OCPD and PD+APD. Moreover, concomitance of PD with P significantly increased the level of chemokines and their receptors in all study groups versus the subjects with P alone.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of the study show differences between the groups. To be specific, inflammatory markers were more elevated in the study groups than the controls. Therefore, chemokines and chemokine receptors may be used as inflammatory markers in patients with PD co-existent with P to indicate disease severity. PD was found to be a factor in maintaining inflammatory activity in the immune system in patients with P.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Toruń, Poland. Electronic address: ewa.oglodek@wp.pl.
authors.forename: Ewa A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Ogłodek
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Toruń, Poland.
authors.forename: Anna M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Szota
authors.affiliation: Department of General and Endocrine Surgery, Municipal Hospital in Piekary Śląskie, Piekary Śląskie, Poland.
authors.forename: Marek J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Just
authors.affiliation: Silesian University of Technology in Gliwice, Gliwice, Poland.
authors.forename: Adam R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Szromek
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Toruń, Poland.
authors.forename: Aleksander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Araszkiewicz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D018925:Chemokines / Q000097:blood*; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016584:Panic Disorder / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology; D019707:Receptors, Chemokine / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D018925:Chemokines; D015850:Interleukin-6; D019707:Receptors, Chemokine
keywords: Chemokines; Panic disorders; Personality disorders