Association of serum cytokine concentrations with psychological symptoms in midlife women

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to clarify the association of serum cytokine concentrations, determined using a multiplexed cytokine assay, with psychological symptoms in midlife women. Methods: Fifty-three peri- and post-menopausal women with and without psychological symptoms in Greene's climacteric scale were enrolled in this study. Level, of 17 cytokines in serum samples were measured simultaneously using a multiplexed human cytokine assay. Results: Serum interleukin (IL)-6 concentration in women with psychological symptoms (2.71 +/- 047 pg/ml) was significantly (p = 0.009) higher than that in women without psychological symptoms (0.98 +/- 0.18 pg/ml). Serum IL-8 concentration in women with psychological symptoms(33.4 +/- 8.17 pg/ml) was also significantly (p = 0.048) higher than that in women without psychological symptoms (7.87 +/- 1.64 pg/ml), In addition, serum IL-10 concentration in women with psychological symptoms (0.74 +/- 0.26 pg/ml) was significantly (p = 0.048) higher than that in women without psychological symptoms (0.07 +/- 0.04 pg/ml). Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha in serum was detected only in women with psychological symptoms. Serum IL-2 concentration in women with psychological symptoms tended (p = 0.066) to be higher than that in women without psychological symptoms. No significant differences were found between levels of other cytokines in women with and without psychological symptoms. Conclusion: Psychological stress manifested as climacteric symptoms in midlife women may be associated with increases in serum concentrations of IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and TNF-alpha. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.