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CD3+CD56+NKT cells might mediate depression in fibromyalgia patients
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CD3+CD56+natural killer T cells might act as a mediator in mental symptoms, including depression, in patients with fibromyalgia, according to recent study results.
Researchers in Germany studied 96 women who met ACR criteria for fibromyalgia (FM). The patients were divided into three depression subgroups, based on Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) scores: HADS-Depression (HADSD) less than 8 (n=45; mean age 55.7 years), HADSD 8-10 (n=23; mean age, 58.2 years) and HADSD greater than 10 (n=28; mean age, 53.7 years). Fluorescence-activated cell sorting methods measured CD3+CD56+natural killer T (NKT) cells from peripheral blood.
Forty-seven percent of patients did not have depression, 24% had mild depression and 29% had high levels of depression. Analysis of variance testing showed significant differences in the subgroups of depression in the FM patients (P=.02). Post-hoc analysis results displayed a significant difference between patient subgroups with HADSD score less than 8 and HADSD score greater than 10 (Bonferroni test, P=.018).
Compared with a subgroup taking antidepressants, patients not taking antidepressants had a greater percentage of CD3+CD56+NKT cells, according to Mann-Whitney U test (P=.041).
“A blocking variable [analysis of covariance] with antidepressant as covariate showed main effects in the subgroup of depression; however, the interaction of antidepressant and the subgroup of depression did not influence the level of CD3+CD56+NKT cells,” the researchers reported.
“Our results suggest that CD3+CD56+NKT cells could be one of the mediators that play a role in mental dysfunction in [FM] patients,” the researchers concluded. “This can also be interpreted as a part of complex pathomechanisms in [FM]. Additionally, subgrouping [FM] patients based on the intensity of mental symptoms may help to optimize the treatments.”
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