The Role of Interleukin-17A (IL-17A) in Depression

Context: The aim of this review was to address the recent data regarding the role of IL-17A in the pathogenesis of depression and its complications, such as cancer..
Evidence Acquisition: This review article summarizes the recent data on the role of IL-17A in depression, using the PubMed and Google Scholar databases..
It has been documented that depression may alter the immune response via unknown mechanism/s. It is possible that immune responses and depression are linked via several molecules, including cytokines. IL-17A, a pro-inflammatory cytokine, participates in the pathogenesis of several inflammatory-based diseases, such as autoimmunity..
Due to the comorbidity of depression and chronic inflammatory processes, and depression’s effect on the immune system, it may be hypothesized that the IL-17A cytokine plays a key role in the pathogenesis of depression..