Purpose/aim of the study: The pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD) involves multiple factors, including inflammatory processes. This study investigated the relationship between changes in the levels of cytokines and remission in patients with MDD following duloxetine treatment.
Materials and methods: MDD patients were administered duloxetine for 16 weeks. Clinical evaluation and immunological monitoring were performed every 4 weeks.
Results: Our results indicated that changes in serum levels of TNF-α and IL-6 were associated with remission following duloxetine treatment in MDD patients. There was a slight increase in TNF-α levels in the first four weeks following duloxetine treatment, which correlated significantly with patients who were in remission. Furthermore, patients in remission exhibited an initial increase in IL-6 levels in the first four weeks, followed by a decrease at 16 weeks.
Conclusions: These results suggest an important relationship between changes in cytokine levels and remission in patients with major depression after duloxetine treatment.
Keywords: Cytokines; antidepressant; major depressive disorder; remission.