Cited by 95Tryptophan and brain disordersTreatment of Major DepressionStress Responses and Cortisol

Citalopram reduces endotoxin-induced fatigue

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Hannestad, Jonas, DellaGioia, Nicole, Ortiz, Nyrma, Pittman, Brian, Bhagwagar, Zubin·2011·Brain, Behavior, and Immunity

Abstract

Increased levels of inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) may play a role in depression. Mild depressive-like symptoms can be induced in humans through activation of the innate immune system with endotoxin. Whether preventive treatment with antidepressants can reduce endotoxin-induced symptoms has never been tested. In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, cross-over study, we administered intravenous low-dose endotoxin (0.8 ng/kg) or placebo to 11 healthy subjects who had received oral pre-treatment with citalopram (10 mg twice a day) or placebo for 5 days. The Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale, the State and Trait Anxiety Inventory, and a visual analog scale were used to measure depressive and anxiety symptoms and social anhedonia. Serum levels of TNF and IL-6 were measured with immunoassays. Compared to placebo, endotoxin administration increased serum levels of TNF and IL-6, and caused mild depressive-like symptoms, in particular lassitude and social anhedonia. While citalopram pre-treatment had no effect on the innate immune response to endotoxin, it reduced the endotoxin-induced MADRS total score by 50%, with a moderate effect size (Cohen's d=0.5). Most of the MADRS total score was due to the lassitude item, and citalopram pre-treatment specifically reduced endotoxin-induced lassitude with a large effect size (Cohen's d=0.9). These results suggest that subchronic pre-treatment with the serotonin-reuptake inhibitor citalopram blunts mood symptoms induced by acute immune system activation with endotoxin without inhibiting the peripheral immune response.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.bbi.2010.10.013

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  • Increases in depressive symptoms following endotoxin administration are associated with changes in levels of IL-6 and TNFα in peripheral blood.

    “increases in depressive symptoms following endotoxin administration have been associated with changes in levels of the proinflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNFα in peripheral blood”

    From From stress to inflammation and major depressive disorder: A social signal transduction theory of depression. (2014) · cites this paper as Hannestad, DellaGioia, Ortiz, Pittman, & Bhagwagar, 2011

    The Introduction and Results §§3.1–3.2 report that endotoxin increased serum IL-6 and TNF alongside depressive-symptom scores. But Results §3.2 explicitly reports no correlation between either cytokine level and MADRS total or lassitude scores, so the paper supports their concurrent increases, not a direct association between the measured changes. (LLM, conf=0.85)

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  • Effects of endotoxin-induced increases in depressive symptoms can be blunted or abated with antidepressant medications.

    “the effects of endotoxin-induced increases in depressive symptoms can be blunted or abated with antidepressant medications”

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Authors
Hannestad, J., DellaGioia, N., Ortiz, N., Pittman, B., & Bhagwagar, Z.
Affiliations
Yale University (US)
Corresponding author
Hannestad, Jonas
Venue
Brain, Behavior, and Immunity
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2011-02
Volume
25
Issue
2
Pages
256-259
ISSN
0889-1591 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W1972187375
Cited by
95
References
25
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 8 · 2012: 10
FWCI
2.41
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Brain Behavior and Immunity (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
National Center for Research Resources (UL1RR024139)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Biological Psychiatry › Tryptophan and brain disorders
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Treatment of Major Depression
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
Keywords
citalopram, endotoxin, fatigue, lassitude, depression, inflammatory cytokines, TNF-α, interleukin-6, innate immune activation, antidepressants, serotonin reuptake inhibitors, social anhedonia, anxiety, mood
MeSH terms
Adult, Anxiety, Behavior, Depression, Double-Blind Method, Endotoxins, Fatigue, Female, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Male, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Social Behavior, Citalopram, Cytokines, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors

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