Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe mental disorder that can develop after a traumatic event. PTSD has been reported to be associated with activation of the innate immune system, as measured by increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. While it is well known that PTSD patients display increased levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6) when compared with healthy controls, the relationship between cytokine secretion and treatment outcome has been hardly investigated yet. The aim of this study was to assess the potential association of inflammatory activation and therapy outcome in PTSD. Before therapeutic intervention, we applied the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) as a method to elicit psychosocial stress and an acute inflammatory response. IL-6 levels were measured in blood plasma of PTSD patients at different time points before and after the TSST. Severity of depressive, trauma-related, and somatic symptoms was assessed before and 8 weeks after trauma-focused treatment in a multimodal day clinic setting. We showed that high reactivity of IL-6 to psychosocial stress at the beginning of the therapy was associated with a negative therapy outcome in PTSD, especially regarding depressive symptoms. This study suggests plasma IL-6 reactivity as a potential molecular marker to predict treatment outcome in PTSD.

创伤后应激障碍 (PTSD) 是一种严重的精神障碍，可在创伤事件后发展。据报道，PTSD 与先天免疫系统的激活有关，这是通过促炎细胞因子水平的增加来衡量的。众所周知，与健康对照相比，PTSD 患者的白细胞介素 6 (IL-6) 水平升高，但细胞因子分泌与治疗结果之间的关系尚未得到研究。本研究的目的是评估炎症激活与 PTSD 治疗结果之间的潜在关联。在治疗干预之前，我们应用特里尔社会压力测试 (TSST) 作为引发心理社会压力和急性炎症反应的方法。在 TSST 前后不同时间点测量 PTSD 患者血浆中的 IL-6 水平。在多模式日间诊所环境中，在针对创伤的治疗之前和之后 8 周评估抑郁、创伤相关和躯体症状的严重程度。我们表明，治疗开始时 IL-6 对社会心理压力的高反应性与 PTSD 的负面治疗结果相关，尤其是在抑郁症状方面。该研究表明血浆 IL-6 反应性是预测 PTSD 治疗结果的潜在分子标志物。我们表明，治疗开始时 IL-6 对社会心理压力的高反应性与 PTSD 的负面治疗结果相关，尤其是在抑郁症状方面。该研究表明血浆 IL-6 反应性是预测 PTSD 治疗结果的潜在分子标志物。我们表明，治疗开始时 IL-6 对社会心理压力的高反应性与 PTSD 的负面治疗结果相关，尤其是在抑郁症状方面。该研究表明血浆 IL-6 反应性是预测 PTSD 治疗结果的潜在分子标志物。