Neural Regeneration Research ›› 2024, Vol. 19 ›› Issue (9): 2036-2040.doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.389360

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Effects of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide on cytokines in adolescents with subthreshold depression: a randomized controlled study

Xiaoyue Li1, 2, Tao Liu1, 2, Xuan Mo3, Runhua Wang1, 2, Xueyan Kong3, Robin Shao1, 2, Roger S. McIntyre4, 5, 6, Kwok-Fai So1, 7, 8, *, Kangguang Lin1, 2, 8, *   

  1. 1Department of Affective Disorders, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University (Guangzhou Huiai Hospital), Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China; 2Key Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Channelopathies of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Education of China, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China; 3Department of Psychiatry, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China; 4Mood Disorders Psychopharmacology Unit, Poul Hansen Family Centre for Depression, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada; 5Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; 6Brain and Cognition Discovery Foundation, Toronto, Canada; 7Ministry of Education Joint International Research Laboratory of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China; 8Neuroscience and Neurorehabilitation Institute, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Qingdao, Shandong Province, China
  • Online:2024-09-15 Published:2024-01-26
  • Contact: Kangguang Lin, MD, PhD, linkangguang@163.com; Kwok-Fai So, PhD, hrmaskf@hku.hk.
  • Supported by:
    This study was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 81671347 (to KL); the Science and Technology Program of Guangzhou of China, No. 202007030012 (to KFS and KL); and the Science and Technology Program of Guangzhou of China, No 202102020735 (to RW).

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Abstract: Strong evidence has accumulated to show a correlation between depression symptoms and inflammatory responses. Moreover, anti-inflammatory treatment has shown partial effectiveness in alleviating depression symptoms. Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP), derived from Goji berries, exhibits notable antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties. In our recent double-blinded randomized placebo-controlled trial, we found that LBP significantly reduced depressive symptoms in adolescents with subthreshold depression. It is presumed that the antidepressant effect of LBP may be associated with its influence on inflammatory cytokines. In the double-blinded randomized controlled trial, we enrolled 29 adolescents with subthreshold depression and randomly divided them into an LBP group and a placebo group. In the LBP group, adolescents were given 300 mg/d LBP. A 6-week follow up was completed by 24 adolescents, comprising 14 adolescents from the LBP group (15.36 ± 2.06 years, 3 men and 11 women) and 10 adolescents from the placebo group (14.9 ± 1.6 years, 2 men and 8 women). Our results showed that after 6 weeks of treatment, the interleukin-17A level in the LBP group was lower than that in the placebo group. Network analysis showed that LBP reduced the correlations and connectivity between inflammatory factors, which were associated with the improvement in depressive symptoms. These findings suggest that 6-week administration of LBP suppresses the immune response by reducing interleukin-17A level, thereby exerting an antidepressant effect.

Key words: adolescents, cytokines, efficacy, Goji berry, inflammatory responses, interleukin-17A, Lycium barbarum polysaccharide, randomized controlled study, subthreshold depression