Altered levels of interleukins and neurotrophic growth factors in mood disorders and suicidality: an analysis from periphery to central nervous system

Interleukins and neurotrophins levels are altered in the periphery of patients with major depression and suicidal behavior, however it is not clear if similar abnormalities occur in the central nervous system. Our objective was to examine the association of IL-6, IL-1 beta, BDNF, and GDNF levels between postmortem plasma, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and brain tissue in a heterogeneous diagnostic subject groups including normal controls, mood disorders only, mood disorders with AUD/SUD (alcohol abuse disorder, substance abuse disorder), and AUD/SUD without mood disorders. To address these questions we collected postmortem plasma (n = 29), CSF (n = 28), and brain (BA10) (n = 57) samples from individuals with mood disorder, mood disorder with AUD/SUD, AUD/SUD and normal controls. These samples were analyzed using a multiplex based luminex assay with a customized 4-plex cytokine/interleukins- IL-6, IL-1 beta, BDNF, and GDNF human acute phase based on xMAP technology platform. Protein levels were determined using a Luminex 200 instrument equipped with Xponent-analyzing software. We observed IL-6 (p = 2.1e-07), and GDNF (p = 0.046) were significantly correlated between brain and CSF. In addition, IL-6 (p = 0.031), were significantly correlated between brain and plasma. Overall diagnostic group analysis showed a significant difference with brain GDNF, p = 0.0106. Pairwise comparisons showed that GDNF level is-39.9 +/- 12 pg/ml, p = 0.0106, was significantly higher than in the brains derived from mood disorders compared to normal controls, -23.8 +/- 5.5 pg/ml, p = 0.034. Brain BDNF was higher in suicide (p = 0.0023), males compared to females (p = 0.017), and psychiatric medication treated vs. non-treated (p = 0.005) individuals. Overall, we demonstrate that blood IL-6, GDNF and BDNF could be informative peripheral biomarkers of brain biology associated with mood disorders, substance disorders, and suicide.

Automated summary

This study found significant correlations of IL-6 and GDNF between brain and CSF, and IL-6 between brain and plasma, suggesting blood IL-6, GDNF and BDNF could be potential peripheral biomarkers associated with mood disorders, substance disorders, and suicide.