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Psychosomatic Medicine 63:502-504 (2001)
© 2001 American Psychosomatic Society

ORIGINAL ARTICLES

Cytokines and Anorexia Nervosa

Maurice Corcos, MD, Olivier Guilbaud, MD, Gérard Chaouat, MD, Véronique Cayol, MD, Mario Speranza, MD, Jean Chambry, MD, Sabrina Paterniti, MD, Marlène Moussa, MD, Martine Flament, MD and Philippe Jeammet, PhD

From the Department of Psychiatry Adolescent and Young Adult Psychiatry (Pr. Jeammet, Institute Mutualiste Montsouris) (M.C., M.S., J.C., M.F., P.J.) and Consultation Liaison Psychiatry Department (Pr. Consoli, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou) (O.G., S.P.), Paris; and INSERM U 131, Hôpital Antoine Beclere, Clamart (G.C., V.C., M.M.), Clamart, France.

Address reprint requests to: Dr. Maurice Corcos, Department of Adolescent and Young Adult Psychiatry, Institut Mutualiste Montsouris, 42 Bd Jourdan 75014 Paris, France. Email: maurice.corcos{at}imm.fr

OBJECTIVE: Recent studies have indicated that the inflammatory cytokines could be implicated in anorexia nervosa and in its complications. To determinate the potential role of interleukins (IL-1, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10), interferon (IFN {gamma}), tumor necrosis factor (TNF-{alpha}), and transforming growth factor (TGF-ß2) in anorexia nervosa, serum concentrations of these cytokines were measured in patients suffering from anorexia nervosa in comparison to healthy subjects.

METHOD: Twenty-nine anorexic women according to DSM-IV criteria participated in the study. The control group consisted of 20 healthy women without eating disorders, mood disorders, and immunological disorders.

RESULTS: We find that serum IL-2 and TGF-ß2 concentrations were both significantly decreased in anorexic patients, although the other cytokines did not differ significantly between the two groups.

CONCLUSION: Our results show that in patients with anorexia nervosa, there are lower levels of specific cytokines (especially IL-2 and TGF-ß2). These levels may reflect the combination of impaired nutrition and weight loss, therefore, the dysregulation of these cytokines may contribute in anorexia’s complications. Follow-up studies should examine the effects of parameters such as starvation, psychopathologic factors, and psychoneuroendocrinological perturbation which could affect interplay between cytokines, neuropeptides, and neurotransmitters.

Key Words: anorexia nervosa • cytokines • Interleukin 2, transforming growth factor.

Abbreviations: IFN-{gamma} = interferon; IL = interleukins; CSF = colony-stimulating factors; ELISA = enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique; MIF = migration-inhibiting factors; LIF = leukemia-inhibiting factors; TNF-{alpha} = tumor necrosis factor; TGF-ß2 = transforming growth factor; DSM-IV; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition; MANOVA = multivariate variance analysis






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