Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2023 Mar 9;24(6):5250.
doi: 10.3390/ijms24065250.

Minocycline as Treatment for Psychiatric and Neurological Conditions: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Bruna Panizzutti  1 , David Skvarc  2 , Sylvia Lin  1   3 , Sarah Croce  1 , Alcy Meehan  1 , Chiara Cristina Bortolasci  1 , Wolfgang Marx  1 , Adam J Walker  1 , Kyoko Hasebe  4 , Bianca E Kavanagh  1 , Margaret J Morris  4 , Mohammadreza Mohebbi  1   5 , Alyna Turner  1 , Laura Gray  1 , Lesley Berk  1 , Ken Walder  1 , Michael Berk  1   6   7 , Olivia M Dean  1   6
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Minocycline as Treatment for Psychiatric and Neurological Conditions: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Bruna Panizzutti et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Minocycline has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-apoptotic properties that explain the renewed interest in its use as an adjunctive treatment for psychiatric and neurological conditions. Following the completion of several new clinical trials using minocycline, we proposed an up-to-date systematic review and meta-analysis of the data available. The PICO (patient/population, intervention, comparison and outcomes) framework was used to search 5 databases aiming to identify randomized controlled trials that used minocycline as an adjunctive treatment for psychiatric and neurological conditions. Search results, data extraction, and risk of bias were performed by two independent authors for each publication. Quantitative meta-analysis was performed using RevMan software. Literature search and review resulted in 32 studies being included in this review: 10 in schizophrenia, 3 studies in depression, and 7 in stroke, with the benefit of minocycline being used in some of the core symptoms evaluated; 2 in bipolar disorder and 2 in substance use, without demonstrating a benefit for using minocycline; 1 in obsessive-compulsive disorder, 2 in brain and spinal injuries, 2 in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, 1 in Alzheimer's disease, 1 in multiple systems atrophy, and 1 in pain, with mixes results. For most of the conditions included in this review the data is still limited and difficult to interpret, warranting more well-designed and powered studies. On the other hand, the studies available for schizophrenia seem to suggest an overall benefit favoring the use of minocycline as an adjunctive treatment.

Keywords: adjunctive treatment; meta-analysis; minocycline; neurology; psychiatry.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

O.M.D. has received grant/research support from the Brain and Behavior Foundation, Simons Autism Foundation, Stanley Medical Research Institute, Deakin University, Lilly, NHMRC, and the Australasian Society for Bipolar and Depressive Disorders (ASBDD)/Servier. O.M.D. has also received in-kind support from BioMedica Nutraceuticals, NutritionCare, and Bioceuticals. W.M. has previously received funding from the Cancer Council Queensland and university grants/fellowships from La Trobe University, Deakin University, University of Queensland, and Bond University. W.M. has received industry funding and/or has attended events funded by Cobram Estate Pty. Ltd. and Bega Dairy and Drinks Pty Ltd. W.M. has received travel funding from the Nutrition Society of Australia. W.M. has received consultancy funding from Nutrition Research Australia and ParachuteBH. W.M. has received speakers’ honoraria from The Cancer Council Queensland and the Princess Alexandra Research Foundation.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Prisma flowchart: systematic review steps.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Meta-analysis results for schizophrenia. (a) Total symptoms; (b) Negative symptoms; (c) Positive symptoms; (d) General symptoms; (e) Extrapyramidal symptoms; (f) CGI; (g) GAF; (h) AIMS; (i) Depressive symptoms; and (j) Cognitive function: processing speed, working memory, psychomotor speed, executive functions, problem-solving, verbal learning, visual learning [37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44,45,46].
Figure 2
Figure 2
Meta-analysis results for schizophrenia. (a) Total symptoms; (b) Negative symptoms; (c) Positive symptoms; (d) General symptoms; (e) Extrapyramidal symptoms; (f) CGI; (g) GAF; (h) AIMS; (i) Depressive symptoms; and (j) Cognitive function: processing speed, working memory, psychomotor speed, executive functions, problem-solving, verbal learning, visual learning [37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44,45,46].
Figure 2
Figure 2
Meta-analysis results for schizophrenia. (a) Total symptoms; (b) Negative symptoms; (c) Positive symptoms; (d) General symptoms; (e) Extrapyramidal symptoms; (f) CGI; (g) GAF; (h) AIMS; (i) Depressive symptoms; and (j) Cognitive function: processing speed, working memory, psychomotor speed, executive functions, problem-solving, verbal learning, visual learning [37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44,45,46].
Figure 2
Figure 2
Meta-analysis results for schizophrenia. (a) Total symptoms; (b) Negative symptoms; (c) Positive symptoms; (d) General symptoms; (e) Extrapyramidal symptoms; (f) CGI; (g) GAF; (h) AIMS; (i) Depressive symptoms; and (j) Cognitive function: processing speed, working memory, psychomotor speed, executive functions, problem-solving, verbal learning, visual learning [37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44,45,46].
Figure 3
Figure 3
Meta-analysis results for MDD. (a) Depression; (b) Anxiety; (c) Quality of life [47,48,49].
Figure 4
Figure 4
Meta-analysis results for BD [50,51].
Figure 5
Figure 5
Meta-analysis results for substance use. (a) Cognitive function; (b) Craving [52,53].
Figure 6
Figure 6
Meta-analysis results for stroke. (a) NIHSS; (b) MRS; (c) Barthel; (d) MRS category change [55,56,57,58,59,60,61].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Dean O.M., Data-Franco J., Giorlando F., Berk M. Minocycline: Therapeutic Potential in Psychiatry. CNS Drugs. 2012;26:391–401. doi: 10.2165/11632000-000000000-00000. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Fava M. The Promise and Challenges of Drug Repurposing in Psychiatry. World Psychiatry. 2018;17:28–29. doi: 10.1002/wps.20481. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Berk M., Vieta E., Dean O.M. Anti-Inflammatory Treatment of Bipolar Depression: Promise and Disappointment. Lancet Psychiatry. 2020;7:467–468. doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30155-3. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Singh H., Kakkar A.K., Chauhan P. Repurposing Minocycline for COVID-19 Management: Mechanisms, Opportunities, and Challenges. Expert Rev. Anti. Infect Ther. 2020;18:997–1003. doi: 10.1080/14787210.2020.1782190. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Fond G., Hamdani N., Kapczinski F., Boukouaci W., Drancourt N., Dargel A., Oliveira J., Le Guen E., Marlinge E., Tamouza R., et al. Effectiveness and Tolerance of Anti-Inflammatory Drugs’ Add-on Therapy in Major Mental Disorders: A Systematic Qualitative Review. Acta Psychiatr. Scand. 2014;129:163–179. doi: 10.1111/acps.12211. - DOI - PubMed

MeSH terms