A new class of anti-inflammatory drugs may someday become a new way to treat depression, a news report says.

Researchers in the U.K. are studying the latest type of these drugs, known as anti-cytokines, some of which are so new they are still under testing for efficacy and safety, CNN says.

The University of Cambridge researchers looked at 20 separate studies on these drugs. All of the participants in these studies had chronic autoimmune inflammatory diseases, which occur when the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy cells,, the report says.

Anti-cytokine drugs, which dampen down this immune response, are now being used to treat patients with such conditions as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and Crohn's disease.

Using data from the 20 studies, the researchers found that anti-cytokine drugs improved symptoms of depression, regardless of whether they lessened the symptoms of physical illness.

Though it's still too early to prescribe these drugs to depressed patients, lead study author Dr. Golam Khandaker believes that anti-inflammatory drugs may offer hope to people who find current antidepressants ineffective.

However, more research is needed to investigate both the efficacy of these drugs, as well as any side effects, so his team, along with other research groups “from both sides of the Atlantic,” are currently planning and conducting such trials,” Khandaker says.