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Rhein C, Apelt I, Werner F, Schäflein E, Adler W, Reichel M, Schug C, Morawa E, Erim Y. Paradoxical effect of anti-inflammatory drugs on IL-6 mRNA expression in patients with PTSD during treatment. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2024; 131:813-821. [PMID: 38613673 PMCID: PMC11199235 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-024-02770-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/15/2024]
Abstract
The pathophysiology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with the activation of the innate immune system, including cytokines like interleukin 6 (IL-6). However, the role of IL-6 in the etiology and treatment of PTSD still remains elusive. We conducted a prospective controlled trial to investigate the development of IL-6 during psychosomatic treatment in individuals with PTSD in comparison with individuals without PTSD. We assessed IL-6 mRNA expression before and after 2 months of psychosomatic treatment in individuals with and without PTSD. Severities of PTSD and depressive symptoms were assessed in parallel. Linear mixed regression was applied for statistical analysis, including the factors diagnosis PTSD and pre-post treatment after subgrouping for intake of anti-inflammatory drugs. The development of IL-6 mRNA expression during treatment was affected by the use of anti-inflammatory drugs. In the subgroup without intake of anti-inflammatory drugs, no significant statistical treatment effect in individuals with and without PTSD emerged. In the subgroup of individuals taking anti-inflammatory drugs, a significant interaction effect of the factors pre-post treatment and diagnosis PTSD was observed. Whereas IL-6 mRNA expression in individuals without PTSD decreased according to amelioration of symptoms, IL-6 mRNA expression in individuals with PTSD increased significantly during treatment, in opposite direction to symptom severity. Anti-inflammatory drugs might affect IL-6 mRNA expression in individuals with PTSD in a paradoxical way. This study offers a further piece of evidence that IL-6 could be involved in the pathophysiology of PTSD and PTSD-specific immunologic molecular mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cosima Rhein
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Hartmannstr. 14, 91054, Erlangen, Germany.
| | - Isabella Apelt
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Hartmannstr. 14, 91054, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Franziska Werner
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Hartmannstr. 14, 91054, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Eva Schäflein
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Hartmannstr. 14, 91054, Erlangen, Germany
- Department of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden (TUD), Dresden, Germany
| | - Werner Adler
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Hartmannstr. 14, 91054, Erlangen, Germany
- Institute of Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Martin Reichel
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
- Department of Nephrology and Medical Intensive Care, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Caterina Schug
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Hartmannstr. 14, 91054, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Eva Morawa
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Hartmannstr. 14, 91054, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Yesim Erim
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Hartmannstr. 14, 91054, Erlangen, Germany
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Ballaz S, Bourin M. Anti-Inflammatory Therapy as a Promising Target in Neuropsychiatric Disorders. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2023; 1411:459-486. [PMID: 36949322 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-19-7376-5_20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/24/2023]
Abstract
This chapter analyzes the therapeutic potential of current anti-inflammatory drugs in treating psychiatric diseases from a neuro-immunological perspective. Based on the bidirectional brain-immune system relationship, the rationale is that a dysregulated inflammation contributes to the pathogenesis of psychiatric and neurological disorders, while the immunology function is associated with psychological variables like stress, affective disorders, and psychosis. Under certain social, psychological, and environmental conditions and biological factors, a healthy inflammatory response and the associated "sickness behavior," which are aimed to resolve a physical injury and microbial threat, become harmful to the central nervous system. The features and mechanisms of the inflammatory response are described across the main mental illnesses with a special emphasis on the profile of cytokines and the function of the HPA axis. Next, it is reviewed the potential clinical utility of immunotherapy (cytokine agonists and antagonists), glucocorticoids, unconventional anti-inflammatory agents (statins, minocycline, statins, and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs)), the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and particularly celecoxib, a selective cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2) inhibitor, as adjuvants of conventional psychiatric medications. The implementation of anti-inflammatory therapies holds great promise in psychiatry. Because the inflammatory background may account for the etiology and/or progression of psychiatric disorders only in a subset of patients, there is a need to elucidate the immune underpinnings of the mental illness progression, relapse, and remission. The identification of immune-related bio-signatures will ideally assist in the stratification of the psychiatric patient to predict the risk of mental disease, the prognosis, and the response to anti-inflammatory therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santiago Ballaz
- School of Biological Science and Engineering, Yachay Tech University, Urcuquí, Ecuador
- Medical School, Universidad Espíritu Santo, Samborondón, Ecuador
| | - Michel Bourin
- Neurobiology of Anxiety and Mood Disorders, University of Nantes, Nantes, France.
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Toft H, Bramness JG, Lien L. Levels of Peripheral Circulating IL-6 and IL-10 Decrease Over Time Despite High Depression Burden in PTSD Patients. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat 2022; 18:737-747. [PMID: 35414745 PMCID: PMC8995001 DOI: 10.2147/ndt.s357797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patients with combined depression symptoms and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often exhibit high levels of circulating inflammatory biomarkers as either a cause or consequence of their disease. We aimed to investigate how cytokines and depression symptoms develop with one-year follow-up and compare them with non-PTSD patients. METHODS The study had a longitudinal design with one-year follow-up measurements in an inpatient treatment setting at a psychiatric center in Norway. PTSD diagnoses were set using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). The first three measurements were at baseline (T0), halfway (T1) and at discharge (T2) from a 12-week main stay, followed by a final measurement one year after discharge (T3). Serum blood samples were collected on all four occasions. The Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) was administered at T0, T2 and T3. RESULTS Levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) in PTSD patients were higher than in patients without PTSD at T0 (p = 0.005 and 0.042). The PTSD patients had a higher average level of IL-10 across all four measurements (B = 1.62, Standard Error (SE) = 0.78, p = 0.037). The IL-10 levels in PTSD patients declined from T0 to T3 (p = 0.039). The PTSD patients were more depressed than non-PTSD patients at T3 (p = 0.019). CONCLUSIONS The levels of IL-10 and IL-6 in PTSD patients more closely resembled the levels in non-PTSD patients at one-year follow-up, despite level of depression being unchanged in the PTSD patients. This calls into question the close relationship between level of circulating cytokines and depressive symptoms, at least in PTSD patients. Further research is needed to investigate what appears to be a complex relationship between immune markers and depression in patients with PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helge Toft
- Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Concurrent Substance Abuse and Mental Health Disorders, Innlandet Hospital Trust, Brumunddal, Norway.,Faculty of Social and Health Sciences, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Elverum, Norway
| | - Jørgen G Bramness
- Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Concurrent Substance Abuse and Mental Health Disorders, Innlandet Hospital Trust, Brumunddal, Norway.,Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Drugs, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.,Department of Clinical Medicine, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Lars Lien
- Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Concurrent Substance Abuse and Mental Health Disorders, Innlandet Hospital Trust, Brumunddal, Norway.,Faculty of Social and Health Sciences, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Elverum, Norway
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Rhein C, Hepp T, Kraus O, von Majewski K, Lieb M, Rohleder N, Erim Y. Interleukin-6 secretion upon acute psychosocial stress as a potential predictor of psychotherapy outcome in posttraumatic stress disorder. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2021; 128:1301-1310. [PMID: 33988765 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-021-02346-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe mental disorder that can develop after a traumatic event. PTSD has been reported to be associated with activation of the innate immune system, as measured by increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. While it is well known that PTSD patients display increased levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6) when compared with healthy controls, the relationship between cytokine secretion and treatment outcome has been hardly investigated yet. The aim of this study was to assess the potential association of inflammatory activation and therapy outcome in PTSD. Before therapeutic intervention, we applied the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) as a method to elicit psychosocial stress and an acute inflammatory response. IL-6 levels were measured in blood plasma of PTSD patients at different time points before and after the TSST. Severity of depressive, trauma-related, and somatic symptoms was assessed before and 8 weeks after trauma-focused treatment in a multimodal day clinic setting. We showed that high reactivity of IL-6 to psychosocial stress at the beginning of the therapy was associated with a negative therapy outcome in PTSD, especially regarding depressive symptoms. This study suggests plasma IL-6 reactivity as a potential molecular marker to predict treatment outcome in PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cosima Rhein
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Schwabachanlage 4, 91054, Erlangen, Germany.
| | - Tobias Hepp
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Schwabachanlage 4, 91054, Erlangen, Germany
- Institute of Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Olga Kraus
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Schwabachanlage 4, 91054, Erlangen, Germany
- Chair of Health Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Kristin von Majewski
- Chair of Health Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Marietta Lieb
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Schwabachanlage 4, 91054, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Nicolas Rohleder
- Chair of Health Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Yesim Erim
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Schwabachanlage 4, 91054, Erlangen, Germany
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de Munter J, Pavlov D, Gorlova A, Sicker M, Proshin A, Kalueff AV, Svistunov A, Kiselev D, Nedorubov A, Morozov S, Umriukhin A, Lesch KP, Strekalova T, Schroeter CA. Increased Oxidative Stress in the Prefrontal Cortex as a Shared Feature of Depressive- and PTSD-Like Syndromes: Effects of a Standardized Herbal Antioxidant. Front Nutr 2021; 8:661455. [PMID: 33937310 PMCID: PMC8086427 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2021.661455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Major depression (MD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) share common brain mechanisms and treatment strategies. Nowadays, the dramatically developing COVID-19 situation unavoidably results in stress, psychological trauma, and high incidence of MD and PTSD. Hence, the importance of the development of new treatments for these disorders cannot be overstated. Herbal medicine appears to be an effective and safe treatment with fewer side effects than classic pharmaca and that is affordable in low-income countries. Currently, oxidative stress and neuroinflammation attract increasing attention as important mechanisms of MD and PTSD. We investigated the effects of a standardized herbal cocktail (SHC), an extract of clove, bell pepper, basil, pomegranate, nettle, and other plants, that was designed as an antioxidant treatment in mouse models of MD and PTSD. In the MD model of “emotional” ultrasound stress (US), mice were subjected to ultrasound frequencies of 16–20 kHz, mimicking rodent sounds of anxiety/despair and “neutral” frequencies of 25–45 kHz, for three weeks and concomitantly treated with SHC. US-exposed mice showed elevated concentrations of oxidative stress markers malondialdehyde and protein carbonyl, increased gene and protein expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6 and other molecular changes in the prefrontal cortex as well as weight loss, helplessness, anxiety-like behavior, and neophobia that were ameliorated by the SHC treatment. In the PTSD model of the modified forced swim test (modFST), in which a 2-day swim is followed by an additional swim on day 5, mice were pretreated with SHC for 16 days. Increases in the floating behavior and oxidative stress markers malondialdehyde and protein carbonyl in the prefrontal cortex of modFST-mice were prevented by the administration of SHC. Chromatography mass spectrometry revealed bioactive constituents of SHC, including D-ribofuranose, beta-D-lactose, malic, glyceric, and citric acids that can modulate oxidative stress, immunity, and gut and microbiome functions and, thus, are likely to be active antistress elements underlying the beneficial effects of SHC. Significant correlations of malondialdehyde concentration in the prefrontal cortex with altered measures of behavioral despair and anxiety-like behavior suggest that the accumulation of oxidative stress markers are a common biological feature of MD and PTSD that can be equally effectively targeted therapeutically with antioxidant therapy, such as the SHC investigated here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes de Munter
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Dmitrii Pavlov
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.,Laboratory of Psychiatric Neurobiology, Institute of Molecular Medicine and Department of Normal Physiology, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Anna Gorlova
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.,Laboratory of Psychiatric Neurobiology, Institute of Molecular Medicine and Department of Normal Physiology, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Michael Sicker
- Rehabilitation Research Unit of Clinic of Bad Kreuzbach, Bad Kreuzbach, Germany
| | - Andrey Proshin
- PK Anokhin Research Institute of Normal Physiology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Allan V Kalueff
- Ural Federal University, Yekaterinburg, Russia.,Institute of Translational Biomedicine, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia.,Neuroscience Program, Sirius University, Sochi, Russia.,School of Biological and Medical Physics, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Andrey Svistunov
- Institute for Translational Medicine and Biotechnology, Preclinical Research Center of Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Daniel Kiselev
- Laboratory of Psychiatric Neurobiology, Institute of Molecular Medicine and Department of Normal Physiology, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia.,Institute for Translational Medicine and Biotechnology, Preclinical Research Center of Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia.,Federal Budgetary Institute of General Pathology and Pathophysiology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Andrey Nedorubov
- Institute for Translational Medicine and Biotechnology, Preclinical Research Center of Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Sergey Morozov
- Federal Budgetary Institute of General Pathology and Pathophysiology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Aleksei Umriukhin
- Laboratory of Psychiatric Neurobiology, Institute of Molecular Medicine and Department of Normal Physiology, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Klaus-Peter Lesch
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.,Laboratory of Psychiatric Neurobiology, Institute of Molecular Medicine and Department of Normal Physiology, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia.,Division of Molecular Psychiatry, Center of Mental Health, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Tatyana Strekalova
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.,Laboratory of Psychiatric Neurobiology, Institute of Molecular Medicine and Department of Normal Physiology, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia.,Federal Budgetary Institute of General Pathology and Pathophysiology, Moscow, Russia.,Division of Molecular Psychiatry, Center of Mental Health, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Careen A Schroeter
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Maastricht Medical Center Annadal, Maastricht, Netherlands
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