Sex-specific inflammatory markers of risk and presence of depression in adolescents

Zuzanna Zajkowska, King's College London, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, London, UK. Electronic address: Zuzanna.zajkowska@kcl.ac.uk.
Naghmeh Nikkheslat, King's College London, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, London, UK.
Pedro H. Manfro, Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Division, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Laila Souza, Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Division, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Fernanda Rohrsetzer, Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Division, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Anna Viduani, Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Division, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Rivka Pereira, Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Division, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Jader Piccin, Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Division, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Valentina Zonca, King's College London, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, London, UK; Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
Annabel E. Walsh, King's College London, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, London, UK.
Nancy Gullett, King's College London, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, London, UK.
Helen L. Fisher, King's College London, Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, London, UK; ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health, King's College London, London, UK.
Johnna R. Swartz, Department of Human Ecology, University of California, Davis, USA.
Brandon A. Kohrt, Division of Global Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, The George Washington University, 2120 L St NW, Ste 600, Washington, DC 20037, USA.
Christian Kieling, Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Division, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Valeria Mondelli, King's College London, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, London, UK; National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London, London, UK.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

7-10-2023

Journal

Journal of affective disorders

DOI

10.1016/j.jad.2023.07.055

Keywords

Adolescence; Cytokines; Depression; Depressive symptoms; Inflammation; Sex differences

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Associations between inflammatory markers and depression are reported among adults; however, less is known in adolescent depression in particular whether these associations are sex-specific. We aimed to identify inflammatory markers of increased risk and presence of depression in adolescence and their association with severity of depressive symptoms in the entire cohort and separately in boys and girls. METHODS: We measured serum cytokines using a Meso Scale Discovery electrochemiluminescence V-PLEX assay in a cohort of 150 adolescents stratified for risk/presence of depression. Risk group and sex-specific differences in inflammatory markers were assessed with 2-way mixed ANOVA, and sex-moderated associations between inflammatory markers and the severity of depressive symptoms were assessed with moderated multiple hierarchical regression analyses. RESULTS: We found a significant interaction between biological sex and the risk group, where boys showed higher interleukin (IL)-2 levels among the depressed group compared with the low-risk group. The severity of depressive symptoms was associated with elevated levels of IL-2 in boys, and of IL-6 in girls. There was a significant moderating effect of sex on the relationship between IL-2 and the severity of depressive symptoms but not for IL-6. LIMITATIONS: The cross-sectional design means that we cannot be certain about the direction of the associations. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest sex-specific associations between inflammatory markers and the development of adolescent depression, where IL-2 may increase risk for depression and severity of depressive symptoms in boys, but not in girls. However, IL-6 may increase risk for more severe depressive symptoms in girls.

Department

Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

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