Posted by SLS on December 17, 2008, at 6:41:32
In reply to How do MAOIs affect the immune system?, posted by rbob on December 16, 2008, at 19:41:03
Hi.
I am not familiar with MAOIs having a direct effect on the immune system. However, depression is well known to suppress the immune system. Any drug that improves depression will also improve immune function. There are many pathways by which this can happen. Normalizing the HPA axis from hypersecretion of glucocorticoids is very likely to be a major influence on improving immune function. Paradoxically, increases in the activity of certain types of cytokine mediated immune responses might actually produce depression or make it worse. This might be the result of the spread of inflammatory responses throughout the brain. Several candidates for antidepressants are cytokine receptor antagonists.
Can you provide some Internet links describing a direct MAOI-immune system connection?
- Scott
poster:SLS
thread:869153
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20081214/msgs/869212.html