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Cytokine production in bipolar affective disorder patients under lithium treatment

Fotini Boufidou1, Chryssoula Nikolaou, Basil Alevizos

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, Eginition Hospital, Medical School, National University of Athens, 72-74 Vasilissis Sophias Avenue, Athens 115 28, Greece. cnikol@cc.uoa.gr

Journal of Affective Disorders
|October 19, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Lithium treatment in bipolar disorder patients significantly reduced cytokine production by immune cells. This suggests long-term lithium administration may have downregulatory immune effects in humans.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Psychiatry
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Immune system functioning in bipolar affective disorder (BAD) is not well understood.
  • Lithium's effects on the immune system are complex and appear contradictory.
  • The study investigates cytokine production in BAD patients and lithium's impact.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate cytokine production in euthymic bipolar affective disorder (BAD) patients.
  • To assess the immunomodulatory effects of lithium therapy in BAD.
  • To utilize the sensitive ELISPOT technique for precise cytokine measurement.

Main Methods:

  • Examined cytokine (IL-2, IL-6, IL-10, IFN-gamma) production from peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) using ELISPOT.
  • Compared 40 euthymic BAD patients on lithium, 20 healthy volunteers, and 10 never-medicated BAD patients.
  • Measured plasma cytokine levels via ELISA and assessed lithium's in vitro effect on PBLs.

Main Results:

  • BAD patients on chronic lithium showed significantly fewer cytokine-secreting cells than healthy controls.
  • Never-medicated BAD patients exhibited decreased cytokine-secreting cells after 3 months of lithium.
  • In vitro lithium stimulation did not alter cytokine secretion in either patients or controls.

Conclusions:

  • Long-term lithium administration (over 3 months) appears to downregulate PBL cytokine production in BAD patients.
  • Lithium's in vitro effect on cytokine production was not observed, suggesting chronic, systemic effects.
  • Findings contribute to understanding lithium's potential downregulatory immune mechanisms in humans.
Abstract

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