MIF, BDNF, VEGF, IL-6 AND TNF-alpha levels in patients with obsessive compulsive disorders

Objective: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a disorder in which recurrent obsessions and/or compulsions are seen, usually chronic but sometimes with exacerbations, and seriously affect functionality in individuals. The causes of OCD are still unclear today. In this study, we aimed to measure the levels of MIF, BDNF, VEGF, IL-6 and TNF-alpha in patient serum to understand the etiology of OCD by looking at neuroinflammatory processes. Methods: The study included 46 patients who were diagnosed with OCD in accordance with DSM-5 diagnostic criteria and had no additional disease, who applied to the Dicle University Faculty of Medicine Psychiatry outpatient clinic or were hospitalized in the clinic, and 44 healthy volunteers matched for age, gender and education level. Blood samples taken from the patient and healthy volunteer groups were centrifuged and serum levels of MIF, BDNF, VEGF, IL-6 and TNF-alpha were studied by ELISA method. Informed Voluntary Consent Form, Sociodemographic Data Form, Yale Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (YBOCS), Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), and The Clinical Global Impression Scale - Severity (CGI-S) were administered to all participants. Results: In our study, MIF levels were found to be significantly lower in the OCD group compared to the control group, and a significant correlation was found between serum MIF level and IL-6, TNF-alpha and BDNF. Serum BDNF level was found to be lower in the OCD group than in the control group. There was no significant relationship between BDNF and disease severity and disease duration as measured by YBOCS. It was shown that IL-6 and TNF-alpha were lower in the OCD group than in the control group. Our study is a study in which OCD patients using drugs were included in the study and it was reported that antidepressant use can reduce IL-6 and TNF-alpha levels in a previous meta-analysis study that examined the effect of drug use on cytokine levels. Our study is the first to examine 8 VEGF levels in OCD patients, and we found that serum VEGF levels were lower in the OCD group compared to healthy controls, and there was a positive correlation between MIF, BDNF, IL-6 and TNF-alpha levels. Conclusion: When the groups were evaluated in terms of the level of biochemical parameters, the MIF, BDNF, VEGF, IL-6 and TNF-alpha mean rank values of the patient group were lower than the control group. As a result of the statistical analysis, MIF, BDNF, VEGF, IL-6 and TNF-alpha values were found to be significantly lower in the patient group compared to the control group. In the correlation analysis performed in the patient group, a positive correlation was found between all biochemical parameters.