Elevated plasma macrophage migration inhibitor factor as a risk factor for the development of post-stroke depression in ischemic stroke

• Published in: Journal of neuroimmunology 2018-07, Vol.320, p.58-63
• Main Authors: Xu, Tingting, Pu, Shuang, Ni, Ying, Gao, Mingqing, Li, Xuemei, Zeng, Xianwei
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acute ischemic stroke; Chinese; Depression; Macrophage migration inhibitory factor
• ISSN: 0165-5728; 1872-8421
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jneuroim.2018.04.003

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), a central cytokine of the innate immunity and inflammatory responses, has been reported to link to the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease and depression. The aim of this study was to test the possible association between plasma MIF and the development of post-stroke depression (PSD) in Chinese patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). The first-ever AIS patients who were hospitalized at Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical College during the period from November 2015 to September 2017 were included. Neurological and neuropsychological evaluations were conducted at the 3-month follow-up. Plasma concentrations of MIF were tested by Quantikine Human MIF Immunoassay. Plasma levels of homocysteine (HCY), C-reactive protein (CRP) and Interleukin 6 (IL-6) were also tested. Results were expressed as percentages for categorical variables and as medians (Interquartile range-IQR) for the continuous variables. Finally, 333 stroke patients were included, and 95 out of those patients (28.5%) were classified as major depression. In the patients with major depression, plasma levels of MIF were higher compared with those in patients free-depression [27.3(IQR, 23.5–34.9) ng/ml vs. 20.9(IQR, 17.0–24.8) ng/ml; Z = 8.369, P