antidepressants and immune system 2

[Guest guest]

I think I got " good " out of this one, unless the NK cells are just

running around uselessly....

- Kate

1: Psychol Med. 2004 Apr;34(3):491-8.

Clinical response augments NK cell activity independent of treatment

modality: a randomized double-blind placebo controlled antidepressant

trial.

MG, Hendricks SE, Burke WJ, DR.

Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska

Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA. matt.frank@...

BACKGROUND: Major depressive disorder (MDD) has been associated

with alterations in immune function. Suppression of natural killer

(NK) cell activity (NKCA) reliably characterizes immunological

alterations observed in MDD. Antidepressant pharmacotherapy has been

associated with modulation of NKCA. Previous investigations into

antidepressant modulation of NKCA have not employed randomized double-

blind placebo controlled designs. Thus, it is unknown whether

treatment-associated changes in immune function are due to drug,

placebo, or spontaneous remission effects. The present investigation

examined the effect of antidepressant treatment on NKCA utilizing a

randomized double-blind placebo controlled experimental design.

METHOD: Patients (N = 16) met DSM-IV criteria for MDD and were

randomly assigned to drug (N = 8; citalopram, 20 mg/day) or placebo

(N = 8) under double-blind conditions. Severity and pattern of

depressive symptoms were assessed by the Hamilton Depression Rating

Scale (HDRS). NK cell function was measured using a standard chromium-

release assay and NK cell number assessed by flow cytometry. HDRS

scores, NK cell function, and NK cell numbers were collected at 0, 1,

2 and 4 weeks of treatment. RESULTS: Clinical response was associated

with augmented NKCA independent of treatment condition. Failure to

respond to treatment resulted in significantly reduced NKCA over

treatment interval. CONCLUSIONS: The present results suggest that

alterations in the depressive syndrome, regardless of therapeutic

modality, may be sufficient to modulate NKCA during antidepressant

trials and thus may significantly impact on co-morbid health outcomes

in MDD.

PMID: 15259834 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]