bupropion tnf

Studies so far have provided contradictory results on immune system markers during use of antidepressants. There are no data on changes in immune parameters after treatment augmentation. The present study aimed to clarify whether the addition of bupropion in escitalopram-resistant patients with major depression causes changes in the immune system and whether treatment response could be predicted by baseline levels of cytokines. We recruited 28 depressive patients (11 men and 17 women) who did not respond to 12-week treatment with escitalopram (20 mg/d) for an augmentation trial with bupropion (150-300 mg/day)...

Impairment of cognition that is caused by (or associated with) vascular factors has been termed vascular cognitive impairment (VCI). The hallmark of VCI is an impairment of brain executive, or planning, functions caused by inflammatory changes of brain microvessels. VCI is characterized by impairment of the executive function and is distinct from Alzheimer's-type and multi-infarct dementias, although VCI might overlap with Alzheimer's disease. This review focuses on the possible contribution of the kynurenine pathway of tryptophan (Try) catabolism to the inflammatory changes in brain microvessels...

Bupropion was initially developed and licensed for the treatment of major depressive disorder in the United States in 1989. It was licensed as a pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation in the United States in 1997 and in the United Kingdom in 2000, and for the prevention of seasonal major depressive episodes in patients with seasonal affective disorder in the United States in 2006. Its main mechanism of action is believed to be via dopamine and noradrenalin reuptake inhibition. In addition to proven clinical efficacy for the treatment of major depression, the prevention of depressive episodes in patients with seasonal affective disorder, and as an aid to smoking cessation treatment, bupropion has demonstrated efficacy for attenuation of symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and more recently it has shown anti-inflammatory action against proinflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), which may be implicated in a number of inflammatory diseases such as Crohn's disease...

A total of 17 years after its introduction, bupropion remains a safe and effective antidepressant, suitable for first-line use. Bupropion undergoes metabolic transformation to an active metabolite, 4-hydroxybupropion, through hepatic cytochrome P450-2B6 (CYP2B6) and has inhibitory effects on cytochrome P450-2D6 (CYP2D6), thus raising concern for clinically-relevant drug interactions. Common side effects are nervousness and insomnia. Nausea appears slightly less common than with the SSRI drugs and sexual dysfunction is probably the least of any antidepressant...

In a wide range of human diseases of inflammatory nature like Crohn's disease, pathology is mediated in part by pro-inflammatory cytokines like tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) or interferon-gamma. We show here that a commonly used generic antidepressant bupropion, in wide use worldwide to treat depression in humans for a decade now, profoundly lowers levels of TNF, interferon-gamma, and interleukin-1 beta in vivo, in a mouse lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced inflammation model. Mice challenged with an otherwise lethal dose of LPS were protected by bupropion and levels of the anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-10 were increased...

Etanercept is a commercially available pharmaceutical protein approved for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, RA. Given subcutaneously, etanercept binds and inactivates soluble tumor necrosis factor-alpha, TNF. Etanercept has a good safety record and is of benefit in lowering pain, inflammation, and joint destruction in RA. RA is mediated by many factors, TNF among them. Malignant myeloma, MM, is a malignant clonal expansion of a post-germinal center B lymphocyte. Since TNF is a necessary growth factor for expansion and maintenance of MM cells, and etanercept binds soluble TNF and is of clinical benefit in RA, etanercept was tried experimentally in MM...

Crohn's disease and B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) share a common link in their pathologic mechanisms. Lymphocytes in both diseases fail to undergo apoptosis and die properly. That failure is partly due to increased signaling by tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, and their respective pathologies directly follow from this apoptosis failure. Bupropion is a commonly used generic antidepressant in clinical use for over a decade, and early evidence indicates it lowers TNF levels. This paper suggests the use of bupropion in CLL to lower TNF levels, which may thereby slow CLL disease course...

Aplastic anemia (AA) is associated with non-trival mortality. Although diagnostic boarders with other myelodysplastic syndromes are unclear, AA is thought, at some point in the chain of events that destroy marrow hematopoiesis, to involve overproduction of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) and that TNF is the proximal death programming signal the stem cells receive. Thus agents that lower TNF may be of benefit in AA. In preliminary studies we have found that the commonly used antidepressant bupropion lowers TNF...

Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a chronic cholestatic disease which can often be severe, progressive and necessitate liver transplantation. The cause of PBC is not known, and treatments other than liver transplantation are often not effective. Among the more common and troublesome symptoms of PBC is fatigue. The etiology of fatigue in PBC is not well-understood, and there is no known treatment for it. Here, we suggest that for a number of reasons that the safe and commonly used oral antidepressant bupropion might be effective for fatigue in PBC: (1) increased monoaminergic and dopaminergic tone to combat fatigue, (2) treatment of concomitant depression, (3) in general for PBC as a tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) lowering agent, if TNF is eventually found to play a role in PBC pathogenesis...

Multiple myeloma is a severe plasma dyschrasia with no known treatment or cure, even bone marrow transplantation. Cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) and interleukin-6 (Il-6) are thought to be important trophic factors for the malignant plasma cells. In turn, histamine and nitric oxide are positive regulatory factors for Il-6. Here we note that the safe, approved and commonly used psychiatric medicines bupropion (Wellbutrin), paroxetine (Paxil) and quetiapine (Seroquel) are respectively potent TNF, nitric oxide and histamine antagonists and thus might find some use in treatment of multiple myeloma...

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Given the increasing costs of pharmaceuticals today, it is important to understand how pharmacy benefits decisions are made and the role of cost and values in these decisions. This study examines what coverage decisions insurers make and the information and processes used in making these decisions. Fifty-three organizations, differing in size, tax status, and region, were asked about their policies for four new and controversial drugs: Viagra, Enbrel, Zyban, and Celebrex. Enbrel and Celebrex were much more likely to be covered than Viagra and Zyban...