Variation of cytokines in first-episode schizophrenia and first-episode depressive disorder patients and its significance

SHI Tianyuan; GUO Xinsheng; ZHANG Hongya; LI Hengfen

Abstract：Objective To investigate the pathological variation of cytokines in the course of first-episode schizophrenia (sch) and first-episode depressive disorder and its significance. Methods Enzyme-labeled immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to meas-ure the levels of 1L-2, sIL-2R, IL-6, and sIL-6R in plasma of the same batches from both 30 cases of first-episode schizophrenia patient and 30 cases of first-episode depressive disorder patient before and after treatment, while 30 health people were used as normal control.Results Before treatment, the levels of IL-2, slL-2R, IL-6, and sIL-6R in the two groups of patients were both higher than those in control group (P<0.05 or P < 0.001 ). In schizophrenia group, the level of sIL-2R was higher ( P < 0.05 ) but the levels of IL-2, IL-6, and sIL-6R were lower (P <0.01 ) as compared with depressive disorder group. After treatment, the levels of IL-2 and sIL-6R in schizophrenia group as well as the levels of IL-2, IL-6, sIL-2R and sIL-6R in depressive disorder group all decreased ( P < 0.01 or P <0. 001 ). The levels of IL-2 and slL-6R in schizophrenia group were still lower than those in depressive disorder group ( P < 0.05 ) ; the levels of sIL-2R and IL-6 in schizophrenia group and sIL-6R in depressive disorder group were still higher than those in control group ( P < 0.01 or P < 0.001 ). Conclusion The first-episode schizophrenia patients and first-episode depressive disorder patients axe both in a state of immune activation, while the variation of cytokine levels might be the immunological basis for their different clinical symp-toms.