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World J Psychiatry. Sep 19, 2026; 16(9): 117289
Published online Sep 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.117289
Published online Sep 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.117289
Correlational study on plasma cytokine levels and severity of depression in first-episode adolescent depression patients
Hao Dai, Psychiatric Comprehensive Ward Two, Wenzhou Seventh People’s Hospital, Wenzhou 325000, Zhejiang Province, China
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.
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
Revised: February 27, 2026
Accepted: July 29, 2026
Published online: September 19, 2026
Processing time: 215 Days and 21.2 Hours
Core Tip
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.