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Review
. 2022 Aug 9;10(8):1929.
doi: 10.3390/biomedicines10081929.

The Relationship between Stress, Inflammation, and Depression

Il-Bin Kim  1   2 , Jae-Hon Lee  3 , Seon-Cheol Park  1   4
Affiliations
Review

The Relationship between Stress, Inflammation, and Depression

Il-Bin Kim et al. Biomedicines. .

Abstract

A narrative review about the relationship between stress, inflammation, and depression is made as follows: Chronic stress leads to various stress-related diseases such as depression. Although most human diseases are related to stress exposure, the common pathways between stress and pathophysiological processes of different disorders are still debatable. Chronic inflammation is a crucial component of chronic diseases, including depression. Both experimental and clinical studies have demonstrated that an increase in the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and stress hormones, such as glucocorticoids, substantially contributes to the behavioral alterations associated with depression. Evidence suggests that inflammation plays a key role in the pathology of stress-related diseases; however, this link has not yet been completely explored. In this study, we aimed to determine the role of inflammation in stress-induced diseases and whether a common pathway for depression exists. Recent studies support pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment approaches significantly associated with ameliorating depression-related inflammation. In addition, major depression can be associated with an activated immune system, whereas antidepressants can exert immunomodulatory effects. Moreover, non-pharmacological treatments for major depression (i.e., exercise) may be mediated by anti-inflammatory actions. This narrative review highlights the mechanisms underlying inflammation and provides new insights into the prevention and treatment of stress-related diseases, particularly depression.

Keywords: antidepressant; chronic inflammation; depression; immune system; immunomodulatory effect; inflammatory cytokines; stress; stress hormones.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Assumptive model of reciprocal interactions between low-grade inflammatory changes and MDD. Negative health behaviors, including poor stress-coping strategies, may provoke inflammatory responses, which involve potential mechanisms mediating the effects of such negative behaviors on inflammation, dysregulation of n-3 fatty acids, and gut physiology dysregulation. This, in turn, may generate symptoms of MDD, including motivational deprivation and psychomotor impairment, further aggravating sickness behavior patterns, and may induce depression and more negative health behaviors. Abbreviations: omega-3 (n-3), lipopolysaccharide (LPS), mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), major depressive disorder (MDD).
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