Modulation of Cytokine Network in the Comorbidity of Schizophrenia and Tuberculosis

Schizophrenia is a severe complex disabling disease that has impaired about 1% of the total population. It is widely recognized that schizophrenia is caused by the abnormal immune system. However, the current genome-wide association study (GWAS) of schizophrenia did not identify any cytokine molecules except genes in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region, suggesting that new strategies are needed to find out the effects of cytokines during the development of Schizophrenia. Recently, increasing evidences have found the comorbidity of schizophrenia with tuberculosis. To narrow down the scope of cytokines and reveal the core culprit, we first systematically review the common cytokines between these two diseases, followed by summarizing the core cytokines' interaction and modulation. The findings thus obtained may provide useful insights into the pathogeneses of both schizophrenia and tuberculosis from the angle of cytokines.