Chen Mei-Hsiu, Chen Ming-Hong, Liao Shu-Lang, Chang Tien-Chun, Chuang Lee-Ming
Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Taiwan University Medical College, Taipei, Taiwan.
Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2008 Aug;69(2):332-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2265.2008.03219.x. Epub 2008 Feb 12.
Infiltration of the retro-ocular space by inflammatory cells, accumulation of glycosaminoglycans, and the overabundance of orbital adipose tissue are characteristic findings in Graves' ophthalmopathy (GO). The cause of macrophage infiltration in the orbital adipose tissue of patients with GO remains to be elucidated.
Immunohistochemistry of orbital adipose tissues with anti-CD68 was used for determining macrophage infiltration pattern and cell counts. Quantitative real-time PCR was used for analysing mRNA expression. Correlation of macrophage infiltration with the duration of GO and mRNA expression were also determined.
Fifteen subjects with GO who underwent orbital decompression were recruited. Six patients without thyroid history who underwent elective orbital surgery were enrolled as controls.
Histological distribution of macrophages, macrophage cell counts, CD68 and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) mRNA levels, and duration of GO.
We demonstrated that macrophage infiltration in orbital fat from patients with GO was higher than controls (P = 0.005). The infiltration of macrophages was located primarily around blood vessels and between mature adipocytes. Macrophage infiltration did not attenuate in GO of long duration. We also found that the expression of MCP-1 was higher in GO orbital fat than that in the orbital fat of controls (P = 0.047) and the infiltration of macrophages in adipose tissue from patients with GO was positively correlated with expression of MCP-1 mRNA (r = 0.546, P = 0.035).
Macrophage infiltration may play an important role in the pathogenesis of GO via over-expression of MCP-1.
炎性细胞浸润眼后间隙、糖胺聚糖积聚以及眶脂肪组织过多是格雷夫斯眼病（GO）的典型表现。GO患者眶脂肪组织中巨噬细胞浸润的原因仍有待阐明。
采用抗CD68对眶脂肪组织进行免疫组织化学分析，以确定巨噬细胞浸润模式和细胞计数。运用定量实时聚合酶链反应分析mRNA表达。还确定了巨噬细胞浸润与GO病程及mRNA表达的相关性。
招募了15例接受眶减压手术的GO患者。选取6例无甲状腺病史且接受择期眼眶手术的患者作为对照。
巨噬细胞的组织学分布、巨噬细胞计数、CD68和单核细胞趋化蛋白-1（MCP-1）mRNA水平以及GO病程。
我们发现，GO患者眶脂肪中的巨噬细胞浸润高于对照组（P = 0.005）。巨噬细胞浸润主要位于血管周围和成熟脂肪细胞之间。巨噬细胞浸润在病程较长的GO中并未减弱。我们还发现，GO眶脂肪中MCP-1的表达高于对照组眶脂肪（P = 0.047），且GO患者脂肪组织中的巨噬细胞浸润与MCP-1 mRNA表达呈正相关（r = 0.546，P = 0.035）。
巨噬细胞浸润可能通过MCP-1的过度表达在GO发病机制中起重要作用。
