The Inflammatory Indicator IL-6 and BDNF Levels in Male Fitness Athletes and Their Relationship with Acute Stress Disorder: A Case-Control Study

The Role of Stress-related Biomarkers, Immune-inflammatory Pathways, and Genetic Polymorphisms in Cognitive-behavioral Therapies for Chronic Low Back Pain and Depression: Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial (the IMPACT study).

While ACT and BATD improved clinical outcomes, their effects on immune-inflammatory biomarkers were not significant and underscore the need to further explore the interaction between psychological therapies, biological processes, and individual variability in treatment outcomes.

30. Secondary Analysis of Sleep Functioning and Interleukin-6 Levels Between Controls and Athletes Following Sport-related Concussion

Interleukin 6 (IL 6) is an inflammatory cytokine that may be acutely elevated within the acute phase following sport related concussion. IL-6 has been an area of interest as a peripheral blood-based biomarker; however, few studies have examined IL-6 in relation to sleep functioning. We hypothesized there would be differences in sleep functioning and IL-6 levels reflected in immunoassay between concussed and control athletes. Data were obtained from a prospective, observational cohort study conducted on athletes at an academic institution to conduct a secondary post-hoc analysis. Participants comprised of 41 athletes diagnosed with SRC and 55 health controls for a total of 96 participants. ANCOVA was utilized to identify group differences in sleep functioning and IL-6 levels, while linear regression was used to assess the relationship between IL-6 and sleep functioning. Demographics, recovery data (i.e., time to clearance), and concussion-related symptoms were gathered via the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool - 5 (SCAT-5) No differences in IL-6 were observed between concussed and control athletes. IL-6 levels did not predict sleep symptoms. However, there were statistically significant differences in total symptoms, overall symptom severity, and emotional, somatic, cognitive, and sleep symptoms (all p<0.001). Group differences in symptom burden within the sleep domain of the SCAT-5 were observed, as well as all other domains captured within the SCAT-5. An absence of differences in IL-6 levels may be attributable to small sample size or immunoassay protocol. Future research should examine this phenomenon in a larger sample and include additional biomarkers to explore other neurobiological implications for sleep architecture.

Associations between high perceived stress, inflammatory proteins, and BDNF: a cross-sectional study of young adult females in Shanghai, China.

Findings indicated that Chinese, young women with HS exhibit distinct inflammatory profiles and reduced BDNF levels, suggesting that chronic stress may be associated with increased inflammation and compromised neuronal plasticity, highlighting the need for future longitudinal studies to clarify the long-term impact of stress on mental wellbeing.

association of BDNF Val66Met polymorphism with hPa and saM axis reactivity to psychological and physical stress

Relationship between BDNF rs6265 (VAL66MET) polymorphism and serum BDNF LEVELS in anxiety disorders

It is demonstrated that decreased serum BDNF levels are associated with the presence and symptom severity of anxiety disorders, and the Val66Met polymorphism does not appear to be a primary determinant of serum BDNF levels in this population, suggesting that other genetic or environmental factors may be involved.

The role of the Inflammatory Cytokine Interleukin-6 (IL-6) in moderating the relationship between pesticide exposure and metabolic syndrome in vegetable farmers

Pesticide exposure has been associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS). However, the moderating role of inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), remains unclear. This study examined how IL-6 moderates the relationship between acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, as a pesticide-exposure biomarker, and the risk of MetS among vegetable farmers. We conducted a case–control study involving 134 male farmers (44 MetS cases and 90 controls) selected from a 13-week population screening of 307 farmers in Kuningan, West Java from January to May 2025. Exposure was assessed through the measurement of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, while IL-6 served as an inflammatory biomarker. MetS was diagnosed according to the International Diabetes Federation criteria. Venous blood samples were collected twice for AChE analysis and once for IL-6 measurement. Moderation analysis using linear regression with the PROCESS Macro SPSS revealed that IL-6 significantly moderated the effect of AChE on waist circumference (WC), systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP), and MetS. The conditional effect of AChE on MetS according to IL-6 values increased with high inflammation (B = 0.0031, p = 0.0004 for WC; B = 0.0059, p = 0.0008 for systolic BP; B = 0.0027, p = 0.0064 for diastolic BP; and B =-0.0009, p = 0.0041 for MetS). Scatter plot patterns further supported the biological plausibility of this moderating mechanism. IL-6 modifies the strength and direction of the inflammatory response, enhancing the impact of pesticide exposure on key MetS components. These results underscore the central role of IL-6 in the cholinergic pathway and indicate that lowering chronic low-dose pesticide exposure may reduce inflammation-related metabolic risks.