Effects of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide on cytokines in adolescents with subthreshold depression: a randomized controlled study

Abstract Strong evidence has accumulated to show a correlation between depression symptoms and inflammatory responses. Moreover, anti-inflammatory treatment has shown partial effectiveness in alleviating depression symptoms. Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP), derived from Goji berries, exhibits notable antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties. In our recent double-blinded randomized placebo-controlled trial, we found that LBP significantly reduced depressive symptoms in adolescents with subthreshold depression. It is presumed that the antidepressant effect of LBP may be associated with its influence on inflammatory cytokines. In the double-blinded randomized controlled trial, we enrolled 29 adolescents with subthreshold depression and randomly divided them into an LBP group and a placebo group. In the LBP group, adolescents were given 300 mg/d LBP. A 6-week follow up was completed by 24 adolescents, comprising 14 adolescents from the LBP group (15.36 ± 2.06 years, 3 men and 11 women) and 10 adolescents from the placebo group (14.9 ± 1.6 years, 2 men and 8 women). Our results showed that after 6 weeks of treatment, the interleukin-17A level in the LBP group was lower than that in the placebo group. Network analysis showed that LBP reduced the correlations and connectivity between inflammatory factors, which were associated with the improvement in depressive symptoms. These findings suggest that 6-week administration of LBP suppresses the immune response by reducing interleukin-17A level, thereby exerting an antidepressant effect.