Immunomodulatory Potential of Escitalopram on C-C Motif Chemokine Ligand 5 and Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 in Patients With Generalised Anxiety Disorder

Objective

C-C motif chemokine ligand 5 (CCL5) and fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) have been increasingly linked to neuroinflammation. This study evaluated the impact of escitalopram on serum CCL5 and FGF2 levels in patients with generalised anxiety disorder (GAD).

Methods

Thirty patients (18–50 years) with GAD diagnosed by DSM-5 criteria, and 30 healthy controls were included. All GAD patients received escitalopram and were followed up for 12 weeks. Serum CCL5 and FGF2 levels were measured before and after escitalopram treatment in GAD patients, with a baseline measurement in healthy controls using ELISA.

Results

We found that serum CCL5 levels were significantly increased (p = 0.001) in GAD patients compared to healthy controls and remained higher after treatment without any significant change. However, serum FGF2 levels were comparable and did not differ significantly between healthy controls and GAD patients before treatment, and increased significantly (p = 0.011) after escitalopram treatment in GAD patients.

Conclusion

In GAD patients, serum levels of CCL5 remained elevated and FGF2 increased significantly post-treatment with escitalopram. This suggests that escitalopram could exert a partial immunomodulatory effect on CCL5 and FGF2, thus modulating inflammation-driven mechanisms of GAD. Future research in larger populations and longer follow-ups is needed to further examine these findings.