Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0011570 (depression)
 172,036 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The objective of the present study was to investigate the relation between adipose tissue polyunsaturated fatty acids, an index of long-term or habitual fatty acid dietary intake, and depression. The sample consisted of 247 healthy adults (146 males, 101 females) from the island of Crete. The number of subjects with complete data on all variables studied was 139. Subjects were examined at the Preventive Medicine and Nutrition Clinic of the University of Crete. Depression was assessed through the use of the Zung Self-rating Depression Scale. Mildly depressed subjects had significantly reduced (-34.6%) adipose tissue docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) levels than non-depressed subjects. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that depression related negatively to adipose tissue DHA levels. In line with the findings of other studies, the observed negative relation between adipose tissue DHA and depression, in the present study, appears to indicate increasing long-term dietary DHA intakes with decreasing depression. This is the first literature report of a relation between adipose tissue DHA and depression. Depression has been reported to be associated with increased cytokine production, such as IL-1, IL-2, IL-6, INF-gamma and INF-alpha. On the other hand, fish oil and omega-3 fatty acids have been reported to inhibit cytokine synthesis. The observed negative relation between adipose DHA and depression, therefore, may stem from the inhibiting effect of DHA on cytokine synthesis.
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PMID:Depression and adipose essential polyunsaturated fatty acids. 1244 91

Stressful events have been implicated in the provocation of depressive illness. Inasmuch as immunological challenge, and particularly cytokine administration, engender neuroendocrine and central neurochemical changes reminiscent of those provoked by psychogenic stressors, it was suggested that immune activation may also contribute to affective illness. The present report provides a brief overview of the neurochemical sequelae of acute and repeated interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and IL-2 treatment, describes some of the synergisms associated with these treatments, as well as their potential interactions with psychogenic stressors. In addition, a discussion is provided concerning the fact that cytokines, like stressors, may have time-dependent proactive effects, so that re-exposure to the treatments provoke greatly augmented neurochemical changes (sensitization). Given that the effects of cytokines are evident within hypothalamic, as well as extrahypothalamic sites, including various limbic regions, it is suggested that cytokines may impact on emotional changes, including depression.
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PMID:Cytokines as a stressor: implications for depressive illness. 1246 35

Administration of the cytokines interferon-alpha and interleukin-2 is used for the treatment of various disorders, such as hepatitis C and various forms of cancer. The most serious side-effects are symptoms associated with depression, including fatigue, increased sleepiness, irritability, loss of appetite as well as cognitive changes. However, great differences exist in the prevalence of the development of depressive symptoms across studies. Differences in doses and duration of therapy may be sources of variation as well as individual differences of patients, such as a history of psychiatric illness. In addition, sensitization effects may contribute to differential responses of patients to the administration of cytokines. In animals administration of pro-inflammatory cytokines induces a pattern of behavioural alterations called 'sickness behaviour' which resembles the vegetative symptoms of depression in humans. Changes in serotonin (5-HT) receptors and in levels of 5-HT and its precursor tryptophan in depressed people support a role for 5-HT in the development of depression. In addition, evidence exists for a dysregulation of the noradrenergic system and a hyperactive hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in depression. Some mechanisms exist which make it possible for cytokines to cross the blood-brain barrier. Pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1beta, IFN-alpha, IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha affect the 5-HT metabolism directly and/or indirectly by stimulating the enzyme indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase which leads to a peripheral depletion of tryptophan. IL-1, IL-2 and TNF-alpha influence noradrenergic activity and IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-alpha are found to be potent stimulators of the HPA axis. Altogether, administration of cytokines may induce alterations in the brain resembling those found in depressed patients, which leads to the hypothesis that cytokines induce depression by their influence on the 5-HT, noradrenergic and HPA system.
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PMID:The psychoneuroimmuno-pathophysiology of cytokine-induced depression in humans. 1246 36

A female patient, who was suffering major depression and advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (hepatoma), sought treatment in the Jozuka Mental Clinic. She was treated using a psycho-neuro-immunological approach. The treatments applied were psychotherapy, the antidepressant fluvoxamine, glycyrrhizinic acid and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). Biochemical, endocrinological and immunological examinations were performed regularly. Improvement of liver function and reduction of alpha-fetoprotein were observed. The levels of DHEA, natural killer cell activity and cytokines (interleukines IL-2, IL-6, IL-12, interferon IFN-gamma) were normalised. Now, more than two and a half years after her admission, the patient is still well and symptom-free. While this may be a case of spontaneous regression, the results suggest that a psycho-neuro-immunological approach to treating the patient's depression and cancer was helpful for her recovery.
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PMID:Psycho-neuro-immunological treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma with major depression--a single case report. 1266 82

TaqMan real time PCR was used to study the transcriptional activity of the bovine IL-2, IL-6, IL-12p40, IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha and granulocyte-monocyte colony stimulating factor of whole milk cells in bovine mammary gland experimentally infected with Staphylococcus aureus. Cytokine transcriptional activity was monitored at 7, 24 and 32 h Post-infection (Pi). IL-12 and TNF-alpha levels were significantly elevated at 24 h Pi followed by sharp decrease at 32 h pi. IL-2 level was decreased at 32 h pi. IL-12 and IFN-gamma showed a significant interaction at 24 h pi. The significant elevations of the IL-12 and TNF-alpha transcriptional level most likely indicate their important role in regulation of the immune responses of bovine mammary gland in S. aureus infection. Depression of IL-2 could reflect the suppressive nature of the S. aureus mastitis.
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PMID:The cytokine markers in Staphylococcus aureus mastitis of bovine mammary gland. 1266 86

Because of its similarity to ageing in impaired immune efficiency 48 h after surgical procedures on young partially hepatectomised mice, partial hepatectomy/liver regeneration (pHx) provides a good model for the study of inflammation in ageing. In old age, high metallothionein (I+II) (MT) sequesters a substantial number of intracellular zinc ions consequently leading to low zinc ion bioavailability for an adequate immune response. Corticosterone and IL-6 affect MTmRNA induction in inflammation and after pHx against oxidative damage. The aim of this study was to investigate the role played by MT in conferring immune plasticity in ageing and in very old age using the pHx model. 48 h after their partial hepatectomy, the crude zinc balance was negative in young, old and very old mice coupled with increased MT, corticosterone, sIL-6R and IL-6. Concomitantly, Natural Killer (NK) cell activity and IL-2 production decreased. Complete restoration of the nutritional-endocrine-immune parameters occurred 15 days from the surgical procedures in young and very old mice, but not in old or transgenic mice overexpressing MT. A significant positive or inverse correlation among nutritional-endocrine-immune parameters exists in young and very old mice, but not in old mice during liver regeneration. Since MT also affects c-myc, the gene expression of c-myc declines from 48 h to days 7 and 15 after pHx in young and very old mice, but remains constantly high in old pHx mice for the same days. This circumstance leads to the appearance of tumours in the long run in old pHx mice and survival times that are shorter than old sham controls. Because complete remodelling also occurs in IL-6 and in sIL-6R in very old mice during liver regeneration, the pre-existing inflammation is not detrimental in very old age. As such, very old mice are still responsive to large inflammation, such as pHx, thanks to correct MT homeostasis. Correct MT homeostasis, via c-myc, is therefore pivotal in both suitable liver regeneration and in conferring immune plasticity with subsequent successful ageing. High MT plays an extremely harmful role in ageing: on one hand it lowers zinc ion bioavailability levels required for immune efficiency and on the other hand it increases c-myc expression. The combination of immune depression and enhanced c-myc, via high MT, may trigger the appearance of age-related degenerative diseases.
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PMID:Metallothionein (I+II) confers, via c-myc, immune plasticity in oldest mice: model of partial hepatectomy/liver regeneration. 1449 92

A variety of chemicals can adversely affect the immune system and influence tumor development. The modifying potential of chemical carcinogens on the lymphoid organs and cytokine production of rats submitted to a medium-term initiation-promotion bioassay for carcinogenesis was investigated. Male Wistar rats were sequentially initiated with N-nitrosodiethylamine (DEN), N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU), N-butyl-N-(4hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine (BBN), dihydroxy-di-n-propylnitrosamine (DHPN), and 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH) during 4 weeks. Two initiated groups received phenobarbital (PB) or 2-acetylaminofluorene (2-AAF) for 25 weeks and two noninitiated groups received only PB or 2-AAF. A nontreated group was used as control. Lymphohematopoietic organs, liver, kidneys, lung, intestines, and Zymbal's gland were removed for histological analysis. Interleukin (IL)-2, IL-12, interferon gamma (IFN-gamma), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), IL-10, and transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1) levels were determined by ELISA in spleen cell culture supernatants. At the fourth week, exposure to the initiating carcinogens resulted in cell depletion of the thymus, spleen and bone marrow, and impairment of IL-2, IL-12, and IFN-gamma production. However, at the 30th week, no important alterations were observed both in lymphoid organs and cytokine production in the different groups. The results indicate that the initiating carcinogens used in the present protocol exert toxic effects on the lymphoid organs and affect the production of cytokines at the initiation step of carcinogenesis. This early and reversible depression of the immune surveillance may contribute to the survival of initiated cells facilitating the development of future neoplasia.
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PMID:Chemically induced immunotoxicity in a medium-term multiorgan bioassay for carcinogenesis with Wistar rats. 1473 94

Some studies suggest that inaccuracy in recognizing and describing emotional states, combined with a highly descriptive mode of expression, as in alexithymia, may influence the immune response. We therefore investigated in healthy women the relationship between alexithymia and circulating levels of IL-1, IL-2 and IL-4. Seventeen mentally and physically healthy women aged between 20 and 25 years completed psychological questionnaires to assess alexithymia (Toronto Alexithymia Scale: TAS) and depressed mood (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale: HAD). Serum concentrations of IL-1, IL-2 and IL-4 were measured by ELISA. We found a significant positive correlation between serum levels of IL-4 and TAS score (r=0.55; p=0.021) and between factor 1 of the TAS (difficulty in identifying feelings) and IL-4 (r=0.57; p=0.017) while serum IL-1 and IL-2 were not detected in ten and six patients, respectively. Although there was a significant correlation between age and IL-4 levels, a linear regression with BMI, age, depressed mood and TAS as independent variables showed that only alexithymia could predict significantly increased levels of IL-4. Alexithymia and difficulty in identifying feelings could be associated with increased levels of IL-4 which may result in chronic impairment of pro/anti-inflammatory cytokine balance with psychological and somatic consequences. Nevertheless, these intriguing findings would deserve replication and extension in a larger sample of subjects.
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PMID:Correlation between serum levels of interleukin-4 and alexithymia scores in healthy female subjects: preliminary findings. 1474 98

The major purpose of this study was to quantify hypergravity-induced changes in erythrocyte and thrombocyte characteristics, spontaneous and mitogen-induced lymphoblastogenesis, and capacity of splenocytes to secrete immunoregulatory cytokines. C57BL/6 mice were subjected to chronic 1, 2, and 3 G; subsets were euthanized after 1, 4, 7, 10, and 21 days of centrifugation. Erythrocyte counts, hematocrit, and hemoglobin were significantly reduced by day 21 in both centrifuged groups. Hemoglobin concentration and volume per red blood cell were generally low, but an early, transient spike above normal was noted in thrombocyte counts in the 3-G group. Fluctuations above and below normal in blood and spleen cell spontaneous blastogenesis were dependent on the length of centrifugation time and not on the level of gravity. Depression in splenocyte responses to phytohemagglutinin and lipopolysaccharide due to gravity were noted when the data were expressed as stimulation indexes. Cytokine production by spleen cells was primarily affected during the first week of centrifugation: IL-2, IL-4, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha increased, whereas interferon-gamma decreased. These findings, although not identical to those reported for spaceflight, indicate that altered gravity can influence both hematological and functional variables that may translate into serious health consequences during extended missions.
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PMID:Hypergravity-induced immunomodulation in a rodent model: hematological and lymphocyte function analyses. 1497 9

Drug addiction influences many physiological functions including reactions of the immune system. The higher occurence of infectious and other diseases in drug addicts has been explained by the depression of immunity due to the harmful effects of the drug. To test this assumption, we tested the proliferative responsiveness and cytokine production of PBL from a group of heroin addicts (N = 19), patients maintained on methadone (N = 15) and healthy controls (N=15). The results show that Con A-induced proliferation of PBL from heroin addicts was even enhanced in comparison with PBL from the control group. Similarly, production of IL-2, IL-10 and IFNgamma was higher in the group of heroin addicts than in healthy controls. The enhanced proliferation of PBL or the increased production of cytokines observed in heroin addicts was partially or completely normalized in the group of patients maintained on methadone. A significantly higher production of IL-6 was found in both unstimulated and stimulated PBL from heroin addicts and patients maintained on methadone, when compared with PBL from healthy controls. The results thus showed enhanced proliferative activity and increased production of various cytokines in heroin addicts and partial or complete adjustment of these alterations in patients maintained on methadone.
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PMID:The alterations of immunological reactivity in heroin addicts and their normalization in patients maintained on methadone. 1505 40


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