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Interleukin-6 production and deregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in patients with major depressive disorders

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Abstract

The present study was designed to determine whether an association exists between HPA activity and cytokine production in major depression (MD). In 9 patients with MD and 11 control subjects of both sexes, all drug-free, activity of the HPA axis was evaluated by circadian rhythm of plasma cortisol, 24-h free urinary cortisol, an overnight 1 mg dexamethasone suppression test, and an oCRF stimulation test. Spontaneous and LPS-stimulated production of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNFα by peripheral blood mononuclear cells were also determined. We found a significantly elevated spontaneous production of IL-6 in patients with MD (3541.2 ± 726.8 vs 380.4 ± 77.5 pg/mL in controls, p<0.05), while LPS-stimulated production was significantly lower in patients than in control subjects (19,867.7 ± 3649.2 vs 33,142.2 ± 15,47.2 pg/mL, p<0.05). The adrenocorticotropic hormone response to oCRF, evaluated as the area under the curve (AUCACTH) was significantly lower in patients than in control subjects (p=0.02). A positive correlation between AUCACTH and LPS-stimulated IL-6 secretion was observed in patients with MD (r=0.75, p<0.05) but not in controls. These findings suggest that the activation of the inflammatory response described in depression might be associated with long-term hyperactivity of the HPA axis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology (INTA), University of Chile, Santiago, Chile

    Derek Humphreys, Liana Schlesinger & Marcelo Lopez

  2. Endocrinology Section, Department of Medicine, University of Chile Clinical Hospital, Santiago, Chile

    A. Verónica Araya

Authors
  1. Derek Humphreys
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  2. Liana Schlesinger
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  3. Marcelo Lopez
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  4. A. Verónica Araya
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Correspondence to A. Verónica Araya.

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Humphreys, D., Schlesinger, L., Lopez, M. et al. Interleukin-6 production and deregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in patients with major depressive disorders. Endocr 30, 371–376 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12020-006-0016-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12020-006-0016-1

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