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Acute effects of low-dose interferon- on serum cortisol and plasma interleukin-6

Department of Psychiatry, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Eire; Department of Neuropsychiatry, Room 32, Maudsley Hospital, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AZ, UK; cucass{at}hotmail.com

Diarmuid Manning

Sinead Byrne

Emer Bolger

Frank Murray

Department of Gastroenterology, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Eire

Neda Sharifi

Department of Endocrinology, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Eire

Eleanor Wallace

Mary Keogan

Department of Immunology, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Eire

Veronica O’Keane

Department of Psychiatry, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Eire

Major depression is associated with both hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis overactivity and immune system activation. Depression is a common occurrence following interferon (IFN)- treatment. While IFN- is known to stimulate the HPA axis, little is known about the effects of exogenous IFN- in humans on the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-6, a marker of immune system activation. This study examined the acute effects of IFN- on cortisol and IL-6 release, and the time course of any changes in these variables. Serum cortisol and plasma IL-6 were assessed in healthy volunteers over an 8-h period following 3 million units subcutaneous IFN- or placebo using a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover design. IFN- resulted in a significant increase in both cortisol and IL-6. Regular sampling over 8 h did not delineate any sequential effect of the rise in these variables over time. We conclude that IFN- acutely stimulates both the HPA axis and proinflammatory cytokine release. The hypothesis that the effect of IFN- on the HPA axis is indirect and mediated by IL-6 was not supported by this study. Our findings are nonetheless of relevance to the aetiology of depression following IFN-.

Key Words: cytokine • depression • HPA axis • interferon alpha • interleukin-6

Journal of Psychopharmacology, Vol. 16, No. 3, 230-234 (2002)
DOI: 10.1177/026988110201600307


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