Values of Cytokines and Tryptophan Metabolites over a 12 Weeks Time Course in Patients with Depression and Somatoform Disorder

Krause, Daniela; Kirnich, Verena B.; Stapf, Theresa M.; Hennings, Anika; Riemer, Sabine; Riedel, Michael; Schmidmaier, Ralf; Gil, Francisco Pedrosa; Rief, Winfried und Schwarz, Markus J. (2019): Values of Cytokines and Tryptophan Metabolites over a 12 Weeks Time Course in Patients with Depression and Somatoform Disorder. In: Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience, Bd. 17, Nr. 1: S. 34-42

Abstract

Objective: Previous studies have suggested alterations in the kynurenine pathway as a major link between cytokine and neurotransmitter abnormalities in psychiatric disorders. Most of these studies used a cross-sectional case-control study design. However, knowledge is still lacking regarding the stability over time of kynurenine pathway metabolites and the functionally related cytokines. Therefore, we studied the stability of cytokines and tryptophan (TRP) parameters over a period of 12 weeks. Methods: A total of 117 participants-39 with major depression, 27 with somatoform disorder, and 51 healthy controls- were enrolled. Four evaluations, including blood withdrawal and psychometric testing, were performed over a period of 12 weeks. We used ELISA to measure interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1 receptor antagonist (RA) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha). High-performance liquid chromatography was used to analyze neurotransmitter variables, i.e. TRP, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), kynurenine (KYN), 3-OH-kynurenine (3-HK), and kynurenic acid (KYNA). Results: We found no significant fluctuations of TRP, its metabolites (5-HIAA, KYN, KYNA, and 3-HK), or the cytokines (IL-1RA, IL-6, and TNF alpha) in any of the groups over the 12 weeks. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first longitudinal study performed in psychiatric patients to verify the stability and consequently the reliability of the biological parameters we investigated. Our data indicate that TRP metabolites and cytokines are reliable biological parameters in psychiatric research because they do not fluctuate significantly over time.

• Dokumententyp: Zeitschriftenartikel
• Fakultät: Medizin
• Themengebiete: 600 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften > 610 Medizin und Gesundheit
• ISSN: 1738-1088
• Sprache: Englisch