Volume 30, Issue 174, August 2026

Pro-inflammatory cytokines as biomarkers in schizophrenia: a systematic review

Paulina Zegarska^1♦, Eliza Mędrek², Natalia Brzozowska², Natalia Sałkowska³, Barbara Wardzyńska⁴, Jakub Magdziak⁵, Oliwia Borowska⁵, Sara Awad5, Hanna Markowska⁶

¹Grochowski Hospital, address Grenadierów 51/59, 04-073 Warsaw, Poland
²Nowodworskie Centrum Medyczne, address Miodowa 2, 05-100 Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki, Poland
³University Clinical Center of the Medical University of Warsaw, address Banacha 1a, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland
⁴Independent Public Healthcare Complex in Wyszków, address Komisji Edukacji Narodowej 1, 07-200 Wyszków, Poland
⁵Independent Public Clinical Hospital named after prof. W. Orłowski CMKP, Czerniakowska 231, 00-416 Warsaw, Poland
⁶Independent Public Multispecialty Healthcare Centre of the Ministry of the Interior and Administration in Bydgoszcz, 4/6 Księdza Ryszarda Markwarta St, 85-015 Bydgoszcz, Poland.

^♦Corresponding author
Paulina Zegarska, Grochowski Hospital, address Grenadierów 51/59, 04-073 Warsaw, Poland

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Schizophrenia's now linked to immune system problems, especially inflammation. This review examines research from 2018 to 2025 on the potential use of these pro-inflammatory cytokines as biomarkers for schizophrenia, with a focus on their role in the onset, progression, symptom presentation, and treatment response of the illness. Results: Higher levels of certain cytokines have been found in people with different stages of schizophrenia. These cytokines lead to ongoing inflammation in the body and brain, nerve cell damage, and problems with brain chemicals. These are linked to cognitive impairment and poorer health outcomes. Additionally, gender-based differences affect cytokine levels and treatment efficacy. Studies show that cytokine levels can indicate current and long-term illness. Checking cytokine levels in medical care could facilitate early diagnosis, inform prognosis, and enable the development of personalised treatment plans that address brain inflammation. Conclusion: Pro-inflammatory cytokines are key indicators that can help to explain the link between the immune system and the brain in schizophrenia. They can also guide more personalised treatment. Research should aim to make tests more consistent. It should involve studying how these cytokines function to improve patient care.

Keywords: Schizophrenia, Cytokines, Neuroinflammation, IL-6, TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta, IFN-gamma, Personalized psychiatry, Immune dysregulation

Medical Science, 2026, 30, e175ms3887

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi.v30i174.e175ms3887

Published: 30 August 2026