Concise report
Old drug, new tricks: haloperidol inhibits secretion of
proinflammatory cytokines
R J Mootsa, Z Al-Saffara, D Hutchinsona, S P Goldingb, S P Youngb, P A Baconb, P J McLaughlinc
a Rheumatology
Research Group, University Hospital Aintree, Longmoor Lane, Liverpool
L9 7AL, b Department of Rheumatology, Birmingham
University, Birmingham, c Department of Immunology, University of
Liverpool, Liverpool
Correspondence to: Dr R J Moots.
Accepted for publication 24 March 1999.
OBJECTIVES
It was
noted that treatment of a patient with acute mania by haloperidol was
associated with marked improvement in activity of rheumatoid arthritis.
The objective of this study was to examine the effects of haloperidol
on inflammatory cytokine release in vitro, as a potential mechanism to
explain the in vivo anti-inflammatory effects of haloperidol.
METHODSThe
effect of haloperidol on the production of inflammatory cytokines
interleukin 1
(IL1) and tumour necrosis factor 
(TNF) was
measured in bacterial lipopolysaccharide stimulated whole blood
cultures and on the promonocyte cell line THP-1, using commercial and
in house enzyme linked immunosorbent assays to measure cytokine concentrations.
RESULTSHaloperidol
inhibited lipopolysaccharide stimulated production of both IL1 and
TNF in vitro in a dose dependent manner and over a prolonged time
period. Marked inhibition was seen over a range of concentrations of
haloperidol from 0.5 µg/ml to 50 µg/ml, including those predicted
to occur in the patient's blood.
CONCLUSIONSHaloperidol
treatment seemed to alleviate inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis.
In vitro experiments would suggest that the mechanism is by direct
inhibition of proinflammatory cytokine release. This phenomenon
requires further investigation and may potentially lead to the
development of novel treatment.
© 1999 by Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
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