OBJECTIVE: To explore the correlation between the interleukin-17 (IL-17) level of peripheral blood and aggression of bipolar mania. METHODS: Thirty-six patients of bipolar mania were selected as experimental group by DSM-IV-TR and received treatment with quetiapine and lithium. Thirty-six healthy volunteers with similar age and gender were selected as control group. The level of IL-17 at baseline in each group and the level of IL-17 in the experimental group after treatment for 2, 4 and 8 weeks were detected by ELISA. RESULTS: The level of IL-17 in experimental group at baseline, after treatment for 2 and 4 weeks were all significantly higher than that in control group. After 8 weeks treatment, there was no significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05). After 2, 4 and 8 weeks treatment, the total score and aggression score of Young Mania Rating Score (YMRS) were significantly lower than the baseline level (P < 0.05). In experimental group, the level of IL-17 was positively correlated with the two scores of YMRS at baseline (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION Bipolar mania may be related to the up-regulation of IL-17. The level of IL-17 is related to the severity of manic symptoms at baseline, especially aggression symptom.
Aggression/drug effects* ; Antipsychotic Agents/therapeutic use* ; Biomarkers/blood* ; Bipolar Disorder/drug therapy* ; Case-Control Studies ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Double-Blind Method ; Humans ; Interleukin-17/metabolism* ; Lithium Compounds/therapeutic use* ; Quetiapine Fumarate/therapeutic use* ; Treatment Outcome