Interleukin-12 plasma levels in drug-naïve patients with a first episode of psychosis: Effects of antipsychotic drugs

• Published in: Psychiatry research Vol. 158; no. 2; pp. 206 - 216
• Main Authors: Crespo-Facorro, Benedicto, Carrasco-Marín, Eugenio, Pérez-Iglesias, Rocío, Pelayo-Terán, José María, Fernandez-Prieto, Lorena, Leyva-Cobián, Francisco, Vázquez-Barquero, José Luis
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 15.03.2008; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Antipsychotic Agents - pharmacology; Antipsychotic Agents - therapeutic use; Benzodiazepines - pharmacology; Benzodiazepines - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; Cytokines; Demography; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; Female; Haloperidol; Haloperidol - pharmacology; Haloperidol - therapeutic use; Haplotypes; Humans; Immune system; Interleukin-12 - blood; Interleukin-12 - metabolism; Male; Medical sciences; Neuropharmacology; Olanzapine; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Psychiatry; Psycholeptics: tranquillizer, neuroleptic; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Psychopharmacology; Psychoses; Psychotic Disorders - blood; Psychotic Disorders - diagnosis; Psychotic Disorders - drug therapy; Risperidone; Risperidone - pharmacology; Risperidone - therapeutic use; Schizophrenia; Time Factors; Schizophrenia; Olanzapine; Haloperidol; Cytokines; Risperidone; Immune system; Human; Atypical antipsychotic; Psychotropic; Neuroleptic; Dopamine antagonist; Serotonin antagonist; Cytokine; Pharmacotherapy; Interleukin 12; Butyrophenone derivatives; Serotonine receptor; Thienobenzodiazepine derivatives; Psychosis; D2 Dopamine receptor; Treatment; First episode; Benzisoxazole derivatives
• ISSN: 0165-1781; 1872-7123
• DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2006.08.005

An overactivation of the Th1 activity in schizophrenia had been described. Interleukin-12 (IL-12), a proinflammatory cytokine, plays a key role in the regulation of the Th1 response. The aims of this study were to investigate the effect of first and second generation antipsychotic drugs on IL-12 production during the acute phase of the illness and its association with clinical features. Participants comprised 56 drug-naïve first episode psychotic patients and 28 healthy volunteers. Patients were initially randomly assigned to risperidone ( n = 16), olanzapine ( n = 20) or haloperidol ( n = 20); subject were maintained on the same medication throughout the study. Clinical assessments were conducted at baseline and at 6 weeks. IL-12 plasma levels were assessed at baseline and after 6 weeks of antipsychotic treatment. IL-12 haplotypes were also analysed. Patients showed higher IL-12 plasma levels at baseline compared with controls, and had a significant increase in IL-12 plasma level after 6 weeks of antipsychotic treatment. No significant differences in IL-12 level increase were found among the three antipsychotic treatments. IL-12 plasma levels at week 6 were not significantly associated with the severity of psychopathology at week 6. Thus, patients with a first episode of psychosis have inflammatory-like immunological function during early phases of the illness that it is independent of the antipsychotic treatment used.