Antipsychotic-induced immune dysfunction: A consideration for COVID-19 risk

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Pharmacology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Patients with severe mental illness face higher infection risks due to illness and environmental factors.
• Atypical antipsychotics (AA) treat mental health disorders and are used off-label in vulnerable populations like older adults.
• AA medications may possess anti-inflammatory properties relevant to their therapeutic effects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if atypical antipsychotic (AA) medications, specifically risperidone (RIS), impair immune responses.
• To assess the impact of clinically relevant RIS doses on innate and adaptive immunity in a preclinical model.

Main Methods:

• Healthy mice were treated with risperidone (RIS) at low clinical doses.
• Immune response was challenged using lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for innate immunity.
• Adaptive immune response was assessed via antibody production after Pneumovax23® vaccination.

Main Results:

• Short-term RIS treatment disrupted the inflammatory response to LPS challenge.
• RIS administration prevented antibody production following Pneumovax23® vaccination.
• Clinically relevant RIS exposure dysregulated both innate and adaptive immune functions.

Conclusions:

• Short-to-intermediate term exposure to risperidone at clinical levels impairs innate and adaptive immune responses.
• This immune dysregulation may increase susceptibility to respiratory infections, including COVID-19.
• Further research is needed to understand the clinical implications for patients on AA medications.