An imbalance in the production of IL-1beta and IL-6 by monocytes of bipolar patients: restoration by lithium treatment.

Objectives: To study the ex vivo interleukin (IL)-1beta and IL-6 production of monocytes in bipolar disorder (BD) patients in the absence/presence of lithium.

Methods: Monocytes of outpatients with DSM-IV BD (n=80, of whom 64 were lithium-treated) and of healthy control subjects (n=59) were cultured in vitro and exposed (24 h) or not exposed to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and/or graded concentrations of lithium chloride (LiCl). IL-1beta and IL-6 production was assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (supernatants).

Monocyte-derived dendritic cells in bipolar disorder.

Background: Dendritic cells (DC) are key regulators of the immune system, which is compromised in patients with bipolar disorder. We sought to study monocyte-derived DC in bipolar disorder.

Methods: Monocytes purified from blood collected from DSM-IV bipolar disorder outpatients (n = 53, 12 without lithium treatment) and healthy individuals (n = 34) were differentiated into DC via standard granulocyte-macrophpage colony-stimulating factor/interleukin-4 culture (with/without 1, 5, and 10 mmol/L lithium chloride).