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. 2020 Apr 28:10:2045125320916655.
doi: 10.1177/2045125320916655. eCollection 2020.

Altered serum interleukin-7 and interleukin-10 are associated with drug-free major depressive disorder

Sadia Anjum  1 , M M A Shalahuddin Qusar  2 , Mohammad Shahriar  1 , Sardar Mohammad Ashraful Islam  1 , Mohiuddin Ahmed Bhuiyan  1 , Md Rabiul Islam  3
Affiliations

Altered serum interleukin-7 and interleukin-10 are associated with drug-free major depressive disorder

Sadia Anjum et al. Ther Adv Psychopharmacol. .

Abstract

Background: Abnormal expression of inflammatory cytokines in major depressive disorder (MDD) suggests the activation of an inflammatory process. The pattern of alterations in cytokine levels is still ambiguous. The present study aimed to evaluate interleukin-7 (IL-7) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) for their involvement in the pathophysiology of MDD and determine their relationships with depression risk.

Methods: The study included 166 medication-free subjects: 84 MDD patients and 82 sex- and age-matched healthy controls (HCs). A qualified psychiatrist diagnosed patients and evaluated controls based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5). Hamilton depression rating scale (Ham-D) was used to measure the severity of depression in MDD patients. Serum IL-7 and IL-10 levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits.

Results: Compared with HCs, the serum levels of IL-7 were significantly decreased, whereas that of IL-10 increased in MDD patients. Moreover, the severity of depression is correlated with the altered levels of IL-7 and IL-10 in MDD patients. We found a negative correlation between IL-7 and Hamilton depression rating (Ham-D) scores (r = -0.580, p < 0.05), whereas there was a positive correlation between IL-10 and Ham-D scores (r = 0.555, p < 0.05).

Conclusions: The altered levels of serum IL-7 and IL-10 in MDD patients may represent a homeostatic mechanism that enhances the inflammatory process during depression. The alterations of these cytokine levels in MDD and their association with the severity of depression support them as promising, but there may still be controversial factors for understanding the pathophysiology of depression.

Keywords: IL-10; IL-7; MDD; interleukin-10; interleukin-7; major depressive disorder.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Variations of serum interleukin-7 (IL-7) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) among the study population. There is a significant difference between patient and control groups at a 95% confidence interval (CI). MDD, major depressive disorder.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Scatter plot of serum interleukin-7 (IL-7) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) with Hamilton depression rating (Ham-D) scores among major depressive disorder patients.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves: (a) interleukin-7 (IL-7) and (b) interleukin-10 (IL-10). The cut-off point was detected as 332.90 pg/ml for IL-7 and 44.00 pg/ml for IL-10.
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