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The effect of lithium on the immune system
Author(s) -
Rybakowski Janusz K.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
human psychopharmacology: clinical and experimental
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.461
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1099-1077
pISSN - 0885-6222
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-1077(199907)14:5<345::aid-hup105>3.0.co;2-t
Subject(s) - lithium (medication) , immune system , in vivo , depression (economics) , immunology , long term potentiation , medicine , immunity , immune dysfunction , psychology , psychiatry , biology , receptor , microbiology and biotechnology , macroeconomics , economics
A substantial amount of data point to antiviral and immunomodulatory effects of lithium both in vitro and in vivo. Antiviral effect of lithium, particularly against herpes viruses, was demonstrated both in affective patients taking lithium for prophylactic purposes and in non‐affective subjects. Modulatory effects of lithium on many parameters of cellular and humoral immunity were also found in clinical studies with affective patients. These findings have been paralleled by new information indicating a possible pathogenic role of viral infection and immune dysfunction in affective illness. A hypothesis is proposed that the antiviral and immunomodulatory action of lithium may have relevance to the prevention by this ionic drug of the recurrences of affective episodes and the potentiation of antidepressants in treatment‐resistant depression. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.