IMPROVEMENT IN MAJOR DEPRESSION AFTER LOW SUBCUTANEOUS DOSES OF MIF-1

In this double-blind pilot study, 20 significantly depressed patients who all met the DSM-III R criteria for major depression were given a s ingle subcutaneous injection of either 10 mg MIF-1 (Pro-Leu-Gly-NH2) o r placebo on each of 5 consecutive days. Treatments were reversed for a second week of 5 consecutive daily injections. At the end of the fir st week, the group receiving MIF-1 was significantly improved on all r ating scales as compared with the group receiving placebo. Eight out o f 9 patients receiving MIF-1 showed marked improvement (score less tha n or equal to 7 on the Hamilton Scale) as compared with only 2 of 11 p atients receiving saline (P < 0.01). Administration of MIF-1 during th e second week to the patients who had received placebo during the firs t week resulted in substantial improvement so that by the end of the s econd week the two groups were indistinguishable.