Suppl. Table 2. Leukocyte subsets in imipramine- and venlafaxine-treated patients.

Treatment group / Imipramine vs. venlafaxine
Sample characteristics / Imipramine
n = 20
M ± SD / Venlafaxine
n = 20
M ± SD / U / p
Age / 51.2 ± 9.5 / 53.0 ± 9.1 / 234 / .357
Number of prev. depressive episodes / 1 ± 1 / 1 ± 1 / 185 / .901
Duration of current episode (weeks) / 50 ± 47 / 80 ± 133 / 155 / .336
HAM-D score prior to treatment / 25 ± 3 / 24 ± 3 / 141.5 / .111
n (%) / n (%) / χ2 / p
Female / 13 (65) / 11 (55) / 0.417 / .519
Responders / 5 (25) / 11 (55) / 3.750 / .053
Imipramine vs. venlafaxine
Leukocyte subsets before treatment / Imipramine
n = 20
M ± SD / Venlafaxine
n = 20
M ± SD / F / p
% of Intact cells
Monocytes / 25.5 ± 9.8 / 21.1 ± 9.6 / 1.883 / .178
Lymphocytes / 72.6 ±10.0 / 72.7 ± 10.3 / 0.001 / .975
% of Lymphocytes
NK cells (CD3-CD56+) / 16.2 ± 7.2 / 17.8 ± 12.1 / 0.130 / .720
B cells (CD19+CD20+) / 14.4 ± 6.1 / 12.5 ± 6.3 / 1.007 / .322
T cells (CD3+) / 67.0 ± 10.8 / 67.4 ± 13.5 / 0.059 / .810
T cytotoxic cells (CD3+CD8+) / 22.5 ± 9.4 / 19.1 ± 7.5 / 1.367 / .250
T helper cells (CD3+CD4+) / 42.3 ± 9.6 / 45.3 ± 12.2 / 0.762 / .388
T helper 1 cells (CD4+IFN-γ+) / 5.0 ± 4.6 / 3.6 ± 2.1 / 1.359 / .251
T helper 2 cells (CD4+IL-4+) / 0.6 ± 0.5 / 0.4 ± 0.2 / 3.643 / .064
T helper 17 cells (CD4+IL-17A+) / 0.3 ± 0.2 / 0.2 ± 0.1 / 0.852 / .362
Natural T regulator cells (CD4+CD25highFoxp3+) / 1.6 ± 0.6 / 1.4 ± 0.5 / 1.113 / .298
Drug x treatment interaction
Leukocyte subsets after treatment / Imipramine
n = 20
M ± SD / Venlafaxine
n = 20
M ± SD / F / p
% of Intact cells
Monocytes / 26.7 ± 10.4 / 21.7 ± 9.9 / 0.059 / .810
Lymphocytes / 71.1 ± 10.7 / 71.9 ± 10.6 / 0.074 / .788
% of Lymphocytes
NK cells (CD3-CD56+) / 15.1 ± 6.8 / 16.7 ± 11.8 / <0.001 / .989
B cells (CD19+CD20+) / 13.0 ± 6.6 / 12.2 ± 4.5 / 0.491 / .488
T cells (CD3+) / 68.4 ± 10.1 / 68.3 ± 14.2 / 0.046 / .831
T cytotoxic cells (CD3+CD8+) / 21.6 ± 7.4 / 18.6 ± 7.2 / 0.276 / .603
T helper cells (CD3+CD4+) / 44.7 ± 9.2 / 46.7 ± 13.0 / 0.183 / .671
T helper 1 cells (CD4+IFN-γ+) / 4.9 ± 4.2 / 3.6 ± 2.0 / 0.016 / .900
T helper 2 cells (CD4+IL-4+) / 0.7 ± 0.6 / 0.3 ± 0.1 / 4.171 / .048
T helper 17 cells (CD4+IL-17A+) / 0.3 ± 0.2 / 0.2 ± 0.1 / 0.051 / .823
Natural T regulator cells (CD4+CD25highFoxp3+) / 2.2 ± 0.7 / 1.5 ± 0.5 / 12.323 / .001

Leukocyte subsets before treatment were analyzed using analyses of covariance with age and gender as covariates. To analyze differential effects of the two drugs on leukocyte subsets over treatment, generalized linear models with repeated measures (treatment) and drug type as between subjects factor were used. Before treatment, patients treated with imipramine and patients treated with venlafaxine were similar in age, gender, number of previous depressive episodes, duration of the current episode, initial depression score, response rates, and initial leukocyte subset distribution. Treatment with imipramine vs. venlafaxine had differential effects on two T cell subsets. Patients treated with imipramine exhibited significantly greater increases in T regulatory cell percentages (η2 = .245) and in T helper 2 cell percentages (η2 = .099) compared to patients treated with venlafaxine.

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Grosse, L.