Several studies have focused on the role of inflammation in depressive states for some time, so in this article we will talk about the possible therapeutic use of anti-inflammatory drugs in the treatment of depression.
According to some studies, conventional treatment of major depression, with antidepressants and cognitive therapy, is effective in only 60% of cases, meaning that there are 40% of patients resistant to treatment, where the depressive state can worsen and even lead to suicide.
- In the case of major depression we are talking about a very high prevalence.
- It affects about 350 million people worldwide.
- Representing 1 in 10 adults.
- So it is important to analyze the therapeutic alternatives that can contribute to the treatment of this disorder.
As mentioned above, more and more studies link depression to inflammatory states in the brain. Initially, it was unclear whether depression could be the result of previous inflammation or whether, on the contrary, depression was the cause of this inflammatory process.
Depression, in general, is a multifactorial disorder that involves various psychosocial, genetic and biological aspects, including the influence of stress, which is also able to activate the inflammatory signaling cascade and cause changes in the brain.
In patients with major depression, a greater presence of inflammatory biomarkers in the blood was observed, including so-called inflammatory cytokines, which are also capable of causing changes in the central nervous system, immune system and even neuroendocrine system.
Specifically, an increase in C-reactive protein (PCR) was observed, as well as in several interleucine.
Considering this inflammatory theory of depression, a wide range of therapeutic possibilities are opened up that can help in the treatment of this disorder, especially important for patients with major depression who do not respond to conventional antidepressants.
Inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines has been observed to increase the effectiveness of antidepressant drugs and generally improve the condition of patients with this pathology.
Initially, this relationship was discovered in cancer and anti-infectious treatments where interferon alfa administration was observed to produce symptoms similar to those of depressive states.
The true therapeutic use of anti-inflammatory drugs in the treatment of depression is currently being studied; several animal studies have shown that the administration of inflammatory cytokine antagonists reduces depressive behaviors as well as responses to stress.
These inflammatory cytokine antagonists, also called anti-inflammatory cytokines or anticytocins, are used, in some cases, in patients with systemic autoimmune pathologies, such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis.
Studies of these patients have shown that they may have a very significant antidepressant effect compared to placebo, although they are complementary to psychological therapy.
Some studies also offer omega-3 supplements as therapeutic aids in the treatment of depression due to its anti-inflammatory effect. Several studies have linked the presence of depression with a deficiency of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.
The omega-3 fatty acid that showed greater efficacy against depressive states in the various studies conducted was eicosapentaenoic acid or EPA, which also has the greatest anti-inflammatory effect.
This acid is able to influence the immune system and reduce certain pro-inflammatory cytokines and prostaglandins, as well as modify other molecular mechanisms.
More research is needed in this area. Depression is too complex a disorder and inflammation has symptoms that are too diffuse for the relationship between the two to be fully defined.
It is, without a doubt, an open therapeutic space that has many perspectives and in which many hopes are placed.