Lack of Association between theIL6RGeneAsp358Ala Variant (rs2228145), IL-6 Plasma Levels,and Treatment Resistance in Chilean SchizophrenicPatients Treated with Clozapine

Alterations in neuroinflammatory processes have been suggested to contribute to the development of Schizophrenia (SZ); onecomponent of the inflammatory system that has been linked to this disorder is interleukin-6 (IL-6). The minor allele of rs2228145, afunctional polymorphism in the IL-6 receptor gene, has been associated to elevated IL-6 plasma levels and increased inflammatoryactivity, making it an interesting candidate to study as a possible factor underlying clinical heterogeneity in SZ. We studied a sampleof 100 patients undergoing treatment with clozapine. Their symptoms were quantified by Brief Psychotic Rating Scale; those withthe lowest scores (“remitted”) were compared with the highest (“clozapine treatment resistant”). We determined allelic frequenciesfor rs2228145 and IL-6 plasma levels. Our results do not support a role of IL-6 in response to treatment with clozapine. Furtherstudies accounting for potential confounding factors are necessary.