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Electroconvulsive Therapy Increases Plasma Levels of Interleukin‐6 a
Author(s) -
KRONFOL ZIAD,
LEMAY LIN,
NAIR MADHAVAN,
KLUGER MATTHEW
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1990.tb40529.x
Subject(s) - medicine , annals , gerontology , library science , family medicine , history , classics , computer science
There is now ample evidence of close interactions between the central nervous system and the immune system. Neurohormones and neurotransmitters play an important role in immunomodulation. Similarly, products of the immune system contribute to neuroendocrine secretion and may also possess specific behavioral properties. Animal studies have shown that stress can interfere with immune regulation and mediate the release of interleukins. Human studies assessing interactions between stress and immunity have been relatively scarce. We have reported earlier that patients suffering from a major depression show a decrease in natural killer (NK) cell activity.' We have also shown that electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), an effective and well known treatment for depression, increases NK cytotoxicity.2 We therefore formulated the hypothesis that ECT will also be accompanied by an increase in plasma levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6). Eight hospitalized psychiatric patients who were suffering from affective disorders and who were referred to the ECT service by their attending physicians were included in the study. Their mean age was 48.9 yr (range = 17 to 82 yr). Four patients were male, four were female. The purpose of the study was explained to each subject and an informed consent was obtained. Venous blood samples were drawn from a previously inserted forearm catheter at two time points in relation to the first E C T immediately before ECT treatment and 10 min after ECT. The blood samples were centrifuged immediately after drawing and the plasma was frozen and kept at -70" C. The frozen samples were later thawed and IL-6 activity was measured using the IL-6-dependent B-9 hybridoma cell line kindly provided by Dr. Lucien Aarden. One hundred pl of 1: lO diluted plasma sample was combined with 5000 B9 cells in 100 pl IMDM/S% FCS in flat-bottom microtiter plates for a final volume of 200 ,ul. All samples were run in duplicate. The control medium, which contained no IL-6, was run in quadruplicate. In addition to the undiluted plasma samples, a serial dilution of each sample was assayed. Cells were pulsed at 68 to 72 h with 0.5 pCi [3H]thymidine, harvested onto glass fiber filter strips, and the radioactivity incorporated into DNA was counted by a pscintillation counter. For each assay, a standard