Investigation of spontaneous, mitogen-induced production and serum concentration of IFN-γ, IL-4 and TNF-α of schizophrenic patients with different dynamic of psychopathological symptomatology during therapy.

Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI, subscale CGI-С) was used to estimate dynamic of psychopathological symptomatology during treatment: 32 schizophrenics were divided into two groups: group 1 (10 patients) - with considerable improvement of psychopathological symptomatology; 2 (22 persons) - with non-considerable improvement or without changes.

Serum concentration, spontaneous, mitogen-induced production of IFN-γ, IL-4, TNF-α by leukocytes of schizophrenics was identified with sets for immune-enzyme analysis in dynamic of treatment (point 1 - during admission in hospital, point 2 - by week 6 of treatment).

In point 1, mitogen-induced production of IL-4, serum IFN-γ, spontaneous production and serum TNF-α significantly exceeded values in control. Simultaneously, in these examined we noticed decrease of induced production of IFN-γ and TNF-α. Group 1 showed higher values of induced production of IFN-γ and lower values induced production of TNF-α as compared with group 2.

In point 2, in patients of group 1, we established significant increase of mitogen-induced and spontaneous production of TNF-α, spontaneous production of IFN-γ as compared with conformable values prior to treatment. Increase of induced production of IL-4 has a trend toward lowering serum concentration of TNF-α, what was shown in both groups.

Thus, schizophrenia is accompanied by disturbances of cytokine levels. We identified that favorable clinical dynamic was followed by the positive dynamic of mitogen-induced production of IFN-γ and serum level of TNF-α.