Dai H, Chen J, Yin ZP. Correlational study on plasma cytokine levels and severity of depression in first-episode adolescent depression patients. World J Psychiatry 2026; 16(9): 117289 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.117289]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Zhi-Peng Yin, Department of Emotional Disorders, Wenzhou Seventh People’s Hospital, Nanhui Sub-district, Wenzhou 325000, Zhejiang Province, China. daihaotqd2006@163.com
Research Domain of This Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
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research-article
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Dai H, Chen J, Yin ZP. Correlational study on plasma cytokine levels and severity of depression in first-episode adolescent depression patients. World J Psychiatry 2026; 16(9): 117289 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.117289]
Jie Chen, Psychiatric Comprehensive Ward Three, Wenzhou Seventh People’s Hospital, Wenzhou 325000, Zhejiang Province, China
Zhi-Peng Yin, Department of Emotional Disorders, Wenzhou Seventh People’s Hospital, Wenzhou 325000, Zhejiang Province, China
Author contributions: Dai H was responsible for conceptualization, data curation, methodology, software, writing original draft; Chen J was responsible for formal analysis, project administration, visualization; Yin ZP was responsible for investigation, supervision, validation, writing review and editing; all of the authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript to be published.
AI contribution statement: We polished the reply letter with AI, main text does not use AI.
Supported by Wenzhou Science and Technology Bureau, No. Y20240648.
Institutional review board statement: The study was reviewed and approved by the Wenzhou Seventh People’s Hospital, No. 2024-25.
Informed consent statement: All participants provided informed consent.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare no conflict of interest in publishing the manuscript.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement – checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement – checklist of items.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Corresponding author: Zhi-Peng Yin, Department of Emotional Disorders, Wenzhou Seventh People’s Hospital, Nanhui Sub-district, Wenzhou 325000, Zhejiang Province, China. daihaotqd2006@163.com
Received: January 20, 2026 Revised: February 27, 2026 Accepted: July 29, 2026 Published online: September 19, 2026 Processing time: 215 Days and 21.2 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
The increasing prevalence of depression among adolescents is a global public health concern. Although inflammation has been implicated in adult depression, the relationship between plasma cytokine levels and the severity of depression in adolescents remains unclear.
AIM
To investigate plasma cytokine dynamics in first-episode adolescent depression and their correlation with depression severity to identify potential diagnostic biomarkers.
METHODS
In this observational, cross-sectional study, 100 adolescents with first-episode depression and 50 healthy controls were enrolled. Fasting plasma levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were measured at baseline and after 8 weeks of treatment. Depression severity was assessed using the 24-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, which categorized patients into mild-to-moderate and severe groups. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the association between cytokine concentrations and depression severity.
RESULTS
The effective response rates were 91.74% (patient group) and 94.34% (control groups). Baseline levels of IL-10, IL-6, and TNF-α were significantly higher in the severe depression group than in the mild-to-moderate group (all P < 0.05). After 8 weeks of treatment, no significant differences in the levels of these cytokines persisted between the severity groups (P > 0.05). Binary logistic regression identified log-transformed IL-6 as an independent risk factor (odds ratio = 6.290, 95%CI: 2.708-14.608).
CONCLUSION
IL-10, IL-6, and TNF-α are dysregulated in first-episode adolescent depression and significantly associated with baseline severity. These cytokines are potential biomarkers for diagnosing adolescent depression, assessing severity, and monitoring therapy.
Core Tip: In this study, we investigated the relationship between plasma cytokine levels and severity of first-episode adolescent depression. A cross-sectional analysis of 100 patients and 50 controls revealed that levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha were significantly higher in severe cases than in mild-to-moderate cases before treatment. These differences normalized after 8 weeks of treatment. Logistic regression analysis identified IL-6 level as an independent risk factor. These findings suggest that these cytokines are dysregulated and are correlated with depression severity, indicating their potential use as biomarkers for diagnosis and clinical assessment.
