Inflammation and damage-associated molecular patterns in major psychiatric disorders.

Fernanda Endler Valiati, Jacson Gabriel Feiten, Luiza Paul Géa, Érico de Moura Silveira Júnior, Ellen Scotton, Marco Antonio Caldieraro, Giovanni Abrahão Salum, Marcia Kauer-Sant'Anna

Journal: Trends in psychiatry and psychotherapy 2023;45():e20220576

PMID: 36527709

Free Full Text on PubMed Central View on PubMed

Abstract

BACKGROUND

Emerging evidence indicates that inflammation plays an important role as a mechanism underlying mental disorders. However, most of the research on inflammatory mechanisms focuses on serum levels of interleukins and very few studies have investigated molecules that initiate and expand innate immune pathways such as damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs).

OBJECTIVES

This study investigated the levels of DAMPs among patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD), bipolar disorder (BD) I and II, schizophrenia (SCZ), and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). We quantified serum levels of heat shock proteins (HSPs) 70 and 60 and of S100 calcium-binding protein B (S100B).

METHODS

Serum levels of HSP70, HSP60, and S100B were assessed in a sample of participants with psychiatric disorders (n = 191) and a control group (CT) (n = 59) using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

RESULTS

Serum HSP70 concentrations were significantly higher in the MDD group compared to the CT, SCZ, and BD groups. The GAD group had higher concentrations of HSP70 than the SCZ group. Exploring associations with medications, lithium (p = 0.003) and clozapine (p = 0.028) were associated with lower HSP70 levels. Approximately 64% of the sample had DAMPs levels below the limits of detection indicated by the respective ELISA kit.

CONCLUSION

This was the first study to assess DAMPs levels in a transdiagnostic sample. Our preliminary findings suggest that HSP70 may be associated with MDD pathophysiology. Medications such as lithium and clozapine were associated with lower HSP70 levels in BD and SCZ groups, respectively. Therefore, it is worth mentioning that all participants were medicated and many psychotropic drugs exert an anti-inflammatory effect, possibly reducing the signs of inflammation.

Address: Laboratório de Psiquiatria Molecular, Centro de Pesquisa Experimental (CPE) and Centro de Pesquisa Clínica (CPC), Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.; Laboratório de Psiquiatria Molecular, Centro de Pesquisa Experimental (CPE) and Centro de Pesquisa Clínica (CPC), Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Psiquiatria e Ciências do Comportamento, Departamento de Psiquiatria, Faculdade de Medicina, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.; Laboratório de Psiquiatria Molecular, Centro de Pesquisa Experimental (CPE) and Centro de Pesquisa Clínica (CPC), Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.; Laboratório de Psiquiatria Molecular, Centro de Pesquisa Experimental (CPE) and Centro de Pesquisa Clínica (CPC), Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Farmacologia e Terapêutica, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Psiquiatria e Ciências do Comportamento, Departamento de Psiquiatria, Faculdade de Medicina, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.; Laboratório de Psiquiatria Molecular, Centro de Pesquisa Experimental (CPE) and Centro de Pesquisa Clínica (CPC), Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Psiquiatria e Ciências do Comportamento, Departamento de Psiquiatria, Faculdade de Medicina, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia Translacional em Medicina (INCT-TM), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.

DOI: 10.47626/2237-6089-2022-0576

Link outs

Free resources

Full Text Sources:

Medical:

https://medlineplus.gov/bipolardisorder.html

Miscellaneous:

https://assays.cancer.gov/CPTAC-1454

Research Materials:

https://antibodies.cancer.gov/detail/CPTC-HSPD1-1

MeSH Terms: Humans, Depressive Disorder, Major, Lithium, Clozapine, Bipolar Disorder, HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins, Inflammation