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. 2014 Oct 31;18(1):pyu021.
doi: 10.1093/ijnp/pyu021.

Monocyte and lymphocyte activation in bipolar disorder: a new piece in the puzzle of immune dysfunction in mood disorders

Izabela Guimarães Barbosa  1 , Natália Pessoa Rocha  2 , Frankcinéia Assis  2 , Érica Leandro Marciano Vieira  2 , Jair C Soares  2 , Moises Evandro Bauer  2 , Antônio Lúcio Teixeira  2
Affiliations

Monocyte and lymphocyte activation in bipolar disorder: a new piece in the puzzle of immune dysfunction in mood disorders

Izabela Guimarães Barbosa et al. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol. .

Erratum in

  • Erratum.
    [No authors listed] [No authors listed] Int J Neuropsychopharmacol. 2016 Apr 27;19(10):pyw031. doi: 10.1093/ijnp/pyw031. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol. 2016. PMID: 27207904 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

Abstract

Background: This study tested the hypothesis that the low-grade inflammation presented in patients with bipolar disorder (BD) is associated with expansion of activated T cells, and this activated state may be due to a lack of peripheral regulatory cells.

Methods: Specifically, we investigated the distribution of monocytes and lymphocyte subsets, and investigated Th1/Th2/Th17 cytokines in plasma by flow cytometry. Twenty-one BD type I patients and 21 age- and sex-matched controls were recruited for this study.

Results: BD patients had increased proportions of monocytes (CD14+). Regarding lymphocyte populations, BD patients presented reduced proportions of T cells (CD3+) and cytotoxic T cells (CD3+CD8+). BD patients also exhibited a higher percentage of activated T CD4+CD25+ cells, and a lower percentage of IL-10 expressing Treg cells.

Conclusions: Our data shed some light into the underlying mechanisms involved with the chronic low-grade inflammatory profile described in BD patients.

Keywords: bipolar disorder; cytokines; lymphocytes; mania; monocytes.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Representative dot-plots of analysis strategy. The immunophenotyping of lymphocytes was verified by flow cytometry assays. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from bipolar disorder patients and controls were stained with surface markers and intracellular FoxP3. Total lymphocytes were gated and a fluorescent dot-plot for T helper lymphocytes (CD3+CD4+) is demonstrated (A). The histogram graphic demonstrates FoxP3 expression in CD4+CD25+ Activated T cell (B).
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
CD14+, total CD3+, CD3+CD8+, CD4+CD25+, and CD4+CD25+FoxP3+IL10+ ex vivo expression in monocytes and lymphocytes from bipolar disorder patients and controls. Figures show the percentages of: CD14+, monocytes (A); CD3+, T lymphocytes (B); CD3+CD8+, T cytotoxic cell (C); CD4+CD25+, Activated T cell (D); and CD4+CD25+FoxP3+IL10+, IL-10 Treg (F). E shows representative dot plots of CD4+CD25+ Activated T cell of gated peripheral lymphocytes. Statistical significant differences are indicated. Data were analyzed by Mann–Whitney Test.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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