Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, The Persian Gulf Tropical Medicine Research Center, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Boostan 19 Alley, Imam Khomeini Street, 7514763448 Bushehr, Iran.
Endocrine. 2010 Dec;38(3):406-11. doi: 10.1007/s12020-010-9401-x. Epub 2010 Nov 2.
Fas/FasL-mediated apoptosis results in the destruction of thyrocytes in chronic autoimmune hypothyroidism (CAIH). In this study, we examined the serum levels of soluble Fas (sFas) and soluble sFas ligand (sFasL) in euthyroid patients with chronic autoimmune hypothyroidism, who were taking levothyroxine (euthyroid, LT4-CAIH), to investigate the possible role of thyroid hormone therapy in down-regulation of apoptotic factors. Fifty euthyroid patients with CAIH on levothyroxine (median of duration 36 months, range 6-228 months) were compared with 75 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals. Serum levels of soluble Fas and soluble Fas Ligand, autoantibodies to thyroid peroxide and thyroglobulin were measured using ELISA. Serum levels of sFas were significantly higher in the euthyroid, LT4-CAIH group [median 9.12 ng/ml, interquartile range (7.86-10.72 ng/ml)] than in the controls [6.11 ng/ml (5.60-6.81 ng/ml)] (P < 0.0001). Compared with controls [80.33 pg/ml (68.22-103.70 pg/ml)], the euthyroid, LT4-CAIH group [125.71 pg/ml (106.11-149.48 pg/ml)] had significantly higher levels of sFasL (P < 0.0001). In a chronological study, there was no significant correlation between sFas, sFasL, and the duration of levothyroxine therapy. In conclusion, normalization of serum sFas and sFasL levels cannot be achieved during levothyroxine treatment in patients with CAIH. It appears that levothyroxine therapy has no important effect on down-regulation of apoptotic factors in CAIH. Thus, like thyroid autoantibodies, monitoring of serum levels of sFas/sFasL is not indicated during thyroid hormone therapy.
Fas/FasL 介导的细胞凋亡导致慢性自身免疫性甲状腺功能减退症 (CAIH) 中的甲状腺细胞破坏。在这项研究中，我们检测了正在接受左甲状腺素 (LT4-CAIH) 治疗的甲状腺功能正常的 CAIH 患者的血清可溶性 Fas（sFas）和可溶性 Fas 配体（sFasL）水平，以探讨甲状腺激素治疗下调凋亡因子的可能作用。将 50 名接受左甲状腺素治疗的甲状腺功能正常的 CAIH 患者（中位治疗时间 36 个月，范围 6-228 个月）与 75 名年龄和性别匹配的健康个体进行比较。采用 ELISA 法检测血清可溶性 Fas 和可溶性 Fas 配体、甲状腺过氧化物酶和甲状腺球蛋白自身抗体的水平。LT4-CAIH 组的血清 sFas 水平明显高于对照组[中位数 9.12ng/ml，四分位距 (7.86-10.72ng/ml)]（P<0.0001）。与对照组[80.33pg/ml（68.22-103.70pg/ml）]相比，LT4-CAIH 组的 sFasL 水平明显升高[125.71pg/ml（106.11-149.48pg/ml）]（P<0.0001）。在一项时间序列研究中，sFas、sFasL 与左甲状腺素治疗时间之间无显著相关性。总之，在 CAIH 患者中，左甲状腺素治疗期间无法使血清 sFas 和 sFasL 水平正常化。似乎左甲状腺素治疗对 CAIH 中凋亡因子的下调没有重要影响。因此，与甲状腺自身抗体一样，在甲状腺激素治疗期间，sFas/sFasL 的血清水平监测并不适用于 CAIH。
