Increased plasma levels of chemokines in bipolar disorder patients in mania

  • Izabela Barbosa, Laboratory of Immunopharmachology, Institute of Biological Sciences and School of Medicine, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil
  • Rodrigo Huguet, Laboratory of Immunopharmachology, Institute of Biological Sciences and School of Medicine, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil
  • Vanessa Mendonca, Laboratory of Immunopharmachology, Institute of Biological Sciences and School of Medicine, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil
  • Fernando Neves, UFMG, Brazil
  • Moises Bauer, 6Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Brazil
  • Antonio Teixeira, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Introduction: Recent studies have suggested that inflammatory and immune mechanisms may play a role in the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder (BD). Only a few studies investigated the profile of chemokines, a family of cytokines involved in the recruitment of leukocytes into inflammatory sites, in BD. The objective of our study was to evaluate the plasma levels of chemokines in BD patients in comparison with controls. Methods: 53 type 1 BD patients (34 during mania and 19 during euthymia) and 21 age and gender matched controls were enrolled in this study. All subjects were assessed by the Mini-International Neuropsychiatry Interview. The patients were also evaluated by the Young Mania Rating Scale and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. The plasma levels of CCL2, CCL3, CCL11, CCL24, CCXL8 and CCXL10 were measured by ELISA. Results: BD patients in mania presented higher plasma levels of CCL3 when compared with BD patients in euthymia and controls. BD patients in mania also presented higher plasma levels of CCL24 when compared to controls. No clinical parameter influenced the levels of these chemokines. Conclusions: This is the first study to assess chemokines in BD patients in mania. Patients in mania seem to have an enhanced inflammatory profile in comparison with BD patients in euthymia, corroborating the hypothesis of a “toxic effect” of acute mood episodes.