The mononuclear phagocyte system and its cytokine inflammatory networks in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder

Abstract

This review describes patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. In such patients, a high inflammatory set point of circulating monocytes at the transcriptome level is observed, involving various inflammatory transcripts forming distinct fingerprints (the transcriptomic monocyte fingerprint in schizophrenia overlaps with that in bipolar disorder, but also differs with it at points). There are increased levels of compounds of the IL-1, IL-6 and TNF system in the serum (be it modest and inconsistent). There is also evidence that the IL-2 system is activated in patients with schizophrenia (and perhaps those with mania), although independently of the activation of the IL-1, IL-6 and TNF systems, suggesting separate inducing mechanisms for monocyte and T-cell activation. It is not yet known whether such T cell activation involves the Th1/Th2/Th17 or Treg systems.

Keywords::

• activated inflammatory response system
• bipolar disorder
• cytokine
• monocyte
• schizophrenia
• transcriptomic fingerprint

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors’ work is supported in part by EU-FP7-HEALTH-F2-2008-222963 ‘MOODINFLAME’, Hersenstichting 15F07 and ZonMW-TOP 40-00812-98-08018. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.