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Washington [US]Jan. 28 (ANI): While antibiotics are widely used to treat bacterial infections and other illnesses, new research has suggested that minocycline, an antibiotic with anti-inflammatory properties, improves depressive symptoms in patients with low-grade peripheral inflammation.
The results of the study were published in the journal “Neuropsychopharmacology”. According to the study conducted by researchers at King’s College London, minocycline helped improve depressive symptoms in patients with treatment-resistant depression with low-grade peripheral inflammation.
In a four-week randomized MINDEP (MINocycline in DEPression) clinical trial, 39 patients with major depressive disorder were recruited from related services in South London and the Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) and via public advertising.
The trial took place at the NIHR / Wellcome Trust King Clinical Research Center at King’s College Hospital. The patients, who were taking their routine antidepressant treatment, were divided into two groups, one group took a placebo tablet (sugar pill) daily while the other group took minocycline daily in addition to their routine treatment. for 4 weeks.
Both groups showed similar and significant improvement in depressive symptoms as measured by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D). However, patients with higher C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, indicating low-grade inflammation, showed greater improvement in their depressive symptoms when taking minocycline.
Author Dr Valeria Mondelli, clinical reader in psychoneuroimmunology at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, and principal investigator of the trial, said: “Our results are very interesting because we show that patients with increased levels of C reactive protein (an inflammatory biomarker) show a good response in terms of reduction of depressive symptoms after treatment with minocycline. “
“Among the many patients with depression who do not respond to usual antidepressant therapy, we have shown in previous studies that in at least two-thirds of patients, it could be due to increased levels of inflammation. Now, with this study, we are identifying a potential new effective treatment for these patients, ”Mondelli added.
Predict Response Patients underwent blood sampling for biomarkers and clinical evaluation at the initial visit and within 14 days of the end of the trial.
The researchers also found that the levels of two biomarkers, CRP and IL-6, can be used to predict the response of minocycline in depression. The study identified a specific threshold for CRP levels associated with the antidepressant effect of minocycline treatment.
Another inflammatory marker, interferon-gamma, was reduced by treatment with minocycline but not by placebo, suggesting specific pathways mediating the effects of minocycline on depressive symptoms.
Dr Mondelli said: “We have also identified the threshold CRP level associated with the response to this anti-inflammatory treatment. This is very important because we may be able to identify with an easy blood test which patients will benefit from the treatment. with an anti-inflammatory drug that is already in use for other medical conditions and therefore readily available. “
Dr Maria Antonietta Nettis, senior author and clinical research associate at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, said: “The integration of the measurement of biomarkers such as CRP into early assessments of patients could help identify potential responders to minocycline, which could be a relatively safe and well-tolerated addition to the treatment of immune-related depression.
Although replications in larger samples are needed, the researchers felt their study has potentially significant clinical impact as they took a step forward in identifying personalized treatments for major depressive disorder (MDD).
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