Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38442505›Full record

ArticlePsychoneuroendocrinology2024

A novel biomarker of interleukin 6 activity and clinical and cognitive outcomes in depression.

Éimear M Foley, Chloe Slaney, Nicholas A Donnelly, Muzaffer Kaser, Louise Ziegler, Golam M Khandaker

Open access · hybridAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
21citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
4.4field-weighted citation impact, top 4% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

21 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 28 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Inflammatory biomarkers and oral microbiome alterations in depression and anxiety disorders: a systematic review.The world journal of biological psychiatry : the official journal of the World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

Éimear M FoleyMRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK; Centre for Academic Mental Health, Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK. Electronic address: eimear.foley@bristol.ac.uk.
Chloe SlaneyMRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK; Centre for Academic Mental Health, Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
Nicholas A DonnellyMRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK; Centre for Academic Mental Health, Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK; Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust, Bristol, UK.
Muzaffer KaserCambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK; Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Louise ZieglerDepartment of Clinical Sciences, Danderyd Hospital, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Golam M KhandakerMRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK; Centre for Academic Mental Health, Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK; Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust, Bristol, UK; NIHR Bristol Biomedical Research Centre, Bristol, UK.
University of Bristol · GBAvon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust · GBCambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust · GBKarolinska Institutet · SE

Funding

Medical Research Council MC_UU_00032/6Wellcome Trust 201486
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundInflammatory cytokines like interleukin-6 (IL-6) are implicated in depression, but most studies have hitherto focused on circulating levels of IL-6 rather than its activity. IL-6 trans-signalling is thought to be responsible for most of the pathogenic effects of IL-6 and is implicated in autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. We tested the association between a multi-protein-derived measure of IL-6 trans-signalling and clinical and cognitive outcomes in patients with depression. We hypothesised that this novel measure of IL-6 activity/bioavailability would be associated with clinical and cognitive measures previously reported to be associated with inflammation in depression.

methodsUsing data from 86 patients with International Classification of Diseases-10 diagnosis of depression, we calculated a ratio score representing IL-6 activity/bioavailability using serum IL-6, soluble IL-6 receptor (sIL-6R), and soluble glycoprotein 130 levels. We tested the relationship of this novel biomarker with 12 cytokines using correlation analyses and with cognitive and clinical measures using multivariable linear regression, following z-transformation of all immune exposures.

resultsThe novel measure of IL-6 activity/bioavailability was correlated with IL-6 (r=0.42, P=0.03), C-reactive protein (CRP) (r=0.42, P=0.03), sIL-6R (r=0.91, P<0.01), and tumour necrosis factor alpha (r=0.43, P=0.03). The IL-6 activity/bioavailability measure was associated with higher somatic symptoms of depression (β=1.09; 95% CI 0.30, 1.88; P

conclusionA novel multi-protein-derived measure of IL-6 activity/bioavailability shows robust associations with various inflammation-related clinical and cognitive outcomes in depression and performs well in comparison to single inflammatory proteins. We need replication of these findings in other samples, experiments for mechanistic validity of this novel biomarker, and clinical studies to assess its usefulness as a marker of illness risk and prognosis.

Indexed as

BiomarkersDepressionInterleukin-6CognitionC-Reactive ProteinCytokinesHumansInflammationQuality of LifeBiomarkersC-Reactive ProteinCytokinesInterleukin-6CognitionDepressionInflammationInterleukin-6Interleukin-6 ActivityInterleukin-6 Signalling

Identifiers

PMID38442505
PMCPMC7617704
OpenAlexW4392303540

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.