ANTI-DEPRESSANTS HELP FIGHT HIV, CANCER
Antidepressant drugs may help the immune system fight serious illness, research
suggests. They enhance the activity of natural killer cells, key elements of the immune
system, and could help the body combat infections such as HIV, and even cancer.
Natural Killer (NK) cells are white blood cells which home in on infected or cancerous
cells, releasing agents that induce apoptosis, or “cell suicide”. NK cells are especially
active against viruses.
The research emerged from findings that stress and depression impair NK cell function
and can accelerate the progress of HIV/AIDS. Scientists recruited depressed and non
depressed HIV positive women and treated them with three drugs to treat stress and
depression. Two, Citalopram and the “substance P antagonist” CP-96345 increased NK
cells activity, while RU486 had no effect.
The study leader, Dr. Dwight Evans of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia,
said : “The study shows that natural killer cell function in HIV infection may be enhanced
by selective serotonin re uptake inhibition and substance P antagonism.” The results
are published in Biological Psychiatry.
-DR. NAVRAJ SINGH SANDHU, www.navraj@gmail.com