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Peripheral proinflammatory cytokines in Chinese patients with generalised anxiety disorder

Peripheral proinflammatory cytokines in Chinese patients with generalised anxiety disorder
Peripheral proinflammatory cytokines in Chinese patients with generalised anxiety disorder

Background: inflammatory responses and inflammatory cytokines have been implicated in the pathogenesis of affective disorders, particularly major depression. Given the limited evidence relating to the potential role of proinflammatory cytokines in generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), we aimed to examine peripheral proinflammatory cytokines in Chinese patients with GAD.

Methods: a case-controlled cross-sectional study design, with recruitment of 48 patients with first episode GAD and 48 matched healthy controls. All participants completed measures of anxiety using well-established questionnaires, and serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines were measured using multiplex technology.

Results: serum levels of CRP, IL-1α, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12, IFN-γ, and GM-CSF were significantly higher in the GAD group in comparison to the control group (p<0.05). Pearson correlation revealed significant positive correlations between anxiety measures and serum levels of CRP, IL-1α, IL-6, IL-8, IFN-γ, and GM-CSF (p<0.05).

Limitations: the cross-sectional study design does not permit definite conclusions on causal directions between inflammation and GAD. The study was limited to a panel of 8 cytokines and does not exclude the possibility of other important cytokines being involved.

Conclusions: these findings indicate an elevated peripheral proinflammatory response, and provide further support for low grade inflammation in GAD. Further research may identify an ‘inflammatory signature’ for diagnosis and treatment response, and guide the search for novel pharmacological interventions.

0165-0327
593-598
Tang, Zhen
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Ye, Gang
fc583a08-c1a8-45d1-a123-527378b71bc2
Chen, Xinyun
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Pan, Mingzhi
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Fu, Jialin
00599eed-2a63-4217-97a6-9410298818cc
Fu, Tian
a218bc92-b464-4b2f-b47b-8d2620e1710c
Liu, Qichun
ece0c7cb-0cbd-4b40-b7be-a528e26949f1
Gao, Zhenyong
e8423f9e-74a3-4e1f-8316-7408ddf50ade
Baldwin, David
1beaa192-0ef1-4914-897a-3a49fc2ed15e
Hou, Ruihua
470bdcbc-93a9-4dad-aac5-26d455c34376
Tang, Zhen
583e802a-a29c-4af9-bdbf-a03af73c048d
Ye, Gang
fc583a08-c1a8-45d1-a123-527378b71bc2
Chen, Xinyun
5da982c5-a5a2-4d49-a040-34ffec6e861c
Pan, Mingzhi
4d076787-c1fe-4a91-ae76-f7adb294aaf6
Fu, Jialin
00599eed-2a63-4217-97a6-9410298818cc
Fu, Tian
a218bc92-b464-4b2f-b47b-8d2620e1710c
Liu, Qichun
ece0c7cb-0cbd-4b40-b7be-a528e26949f1
Gao, Zhenyong
e8423f9e-74a3-4e1f-8316-7408ddf50ade
Baldwin, David
1beaa192-0ef1-4914-897a-3a49fc2ed15e
Hou, Ruihua
470bdcbc-93a9-4dad-aac5-26d455c34376

Tang, Zhen, Ye, Gang, Chen, Xinyun, Pan, Mingzhi, Fu, Jialin, Fu, Tian, Liu, Qichun, Gao, Zhenyong, Baldwin, David and Hou, Ruihua (2018) Peripheral proinflammatory cytokines in Chinese patients with generalised anxiety disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders, 225, 593-598. (doi:10.1016/j.jad.2017.08.082).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Background: inflammatory responses and inflammatory cytokines have been implicated in the pathogenesis of affective disorders, particularly major depression. Given the limited evidence relating to the potential role of proinflammatory cytokines in generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), we aimed to examine peripheral proinflammatory cytokines in Chinese patients with GAD.

Methods: a case-controlled cross-sectional study design, with recruitment of 48 patients with first episode GAD and 48 matched healthy controls. All participants completed measures of anxiety using well-established questionnaires, and serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines were measured using multiplex technology.

Results: serum levels of CRP, IL-1α, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12, IFN-γ, and GM-CSF were significantly higher in the GAD group in comparison to the control group (p<0.05). Pearson correlation revealed significant positive correlations between anxiety measures and serum levels of CRP, IL-1α, IL-6, IL-8, IFN-γ, and GM-CSF (p<0.05).

Limitations: the cross-sectional study design does not permit definite conclusions on causal directions between inflammation and GAD. The study was limited to a panel of 8 cytokines and does not exclude the possibility of other important cytokines being involved.

Conclusions: these findings indicate an elevated peripheral proinflammatory response, and provide further support for low grade inflammation in GAD. Further research may identify an ‘inflammatory signature’ for diagnosis and treatment response, and guide the search for novel pharmacological interventions.

Text
PIIS0165032717307413 - Accepted Manuscript
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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 27 August 2017
e-pub ahead of print date: 31 August 2017
Published date: 1 January 2018

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 413657
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/413657
ISSN: 0165-0327
PURE UUID: f84795e0-28bb-4577-b1bc-c36111a67dd8
ORCID for David Baldwin: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-3343-0907
ORCID for Ruihua Hou: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-6127-1478

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 31 Aug 2017 16:31
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 05:41

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Contributors

Author: Zhen Tang
Author: Gang Ye
Author: Xinyun Chen
Author: Mingzhi Pan
Author: Jialin Fu
Author: Tian Fu
Author: Qichun Liu
Author: Zhenyong Gao
Author: David Baldwin ORCID iD
Author: Ruihua Hou ORCID iD

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