Molecular changes of IL-6 gene in patients with schizophrenia compared to healthy control: results from ARAS cohort

Background and Aim : Etiology of Schizophrenia is multifactorial. Numerous investigators suggest a probable role for immune system in the pathogenesis. The aim of this study was to compare the gene expression of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in patients with first episode schizophrenia and healthy controls.Methods : this study was a part of Azeri recent onset/acute phase psychosis survey (ARAS). 40 patients with recent onset schizophrenia and 40 healthy controls were recruited. After a structures psychiatric interview, groups were matched in terms of gender and age. From the peripheral blood, T-cells were first isolated and then total RNA was extracted. After cDNA synthesis using different primers, expression rate of the interleukin-6 gene was calculated.Results : The mean age of the patients was 29.7 years, all had Azeri Turkish ethnicity, 67.5% were male. IL-6 gene expression was significantly increased in patients with schizophrenia compared to controls (p = 0.032)Conclusion : This is the firs report from patients with Azeri ethnicity. This study adds evidence for a possible correlation between schizophrenia and immune response that could be either autoimmune or viral reactivation mechanism. Cytokines are suggested as potential biomarkers for disease activity.

کلیدواژه ها:

psychosis ، immune system ، interleukins