Unit of Endocrinology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
UOC di Endocrinologia, Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, Padiglione H, 4 piano - Policlinico Universitario "G. Martino", 98125, Messina, Italy.
J Endocrinol Invest. 2019 Feb;42(2):199-205. doi: 10.1007/s40618-018-0903-3. Epub 2018 May 23.
Interleukin-37 (IL-37), member of the IL-1 family, is a natural suppressor of immune and inflammatory responses. Increased serum IL-37 levels were observed in several autoimmune diseases, including Graves' disease. To our knowledge, no data on Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) are available in the literature.
Aim of our study was to measure serum IL-37 levels and evaluate their relationship, if any, with oxidative stress markers in HT patients. We enrolled 45 euthyroid HT patients (5 M e 40 F, median age 40 years) and 50 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. None was under L-thyroxine therapy. Serum IL-37 levels were measured by ELISA. Specific serum tests, such as derived reactive oxygen metabolites (d-ROMs), and biological anti-oxidant potential (BAP) test were performed in all subjects to investigate the changes in oxidative balance, and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) were determined as a specific marker of oxidative stress.
IL-37 levels were significantly higher in HT than in controls (median 475 vs. 268 pg/ml, P = 0.018). In the same patients, serum oxidants (d-ROMs) were increased and anti-oxidants (BAP) decreased compared with controls (P = 0.011 and < 0.0001, respectively), clearly indicating an enhanced oxidative stress. In addition, AGEs levels were higher in HT patients than in controls (210 vs. 140 AU/g prot, P < 0.0001) and directly correlated with IL-37 levels (P = 0.048). At multivariate analysis, the main independent predictors that influenced IL-37 levels were both anti-thyroid antibodies (P = 0.026) and AGEs levels (P = 0.001).
IL-37 is up-regulated in HT and may exert a protective role by counteracting oxidative stress and inflammation.
白细胞介素-37（IL-37）是白细胞介素 1 家族的成员，是免疫和炎症反应的天然抑制剂。在几种自身免疫性疾病中，包括格雷夫斯病，观察到血清 IL-37 水平升高。据我们所知，文献中尚无桥本甲状腺炎（HT）的数据。
我们研究的目的是测量 HT 患者的血清 IL-37 水平，并评估其与氧化应激标志物之间的任何关系。我们招募了 45 名甲状腺功能正常的 HT 患者（5 名男性和 40 名女性，中位年龄 40 岁）和 50 名年龄和性别匹配的健康对照者。无患者正在接受 L-甲状腺素治疗。通过 ELISA 测量血清 IL-37 水平。所有受试者均进行了特定的血清测试，如衍生的活性氧代谢物（d-ROMs）和生物抗氧化能力（BAP）测试，以研究氧化平衡的变化，并确定晚期糖基化终产物（AGEs）作为氧化应激的特定标志物。
HT 患者的 IL-37 水平明显高于对照组（中位数 475 比 268 pg/ml，P=0.018）。在同一患者中，与对照组相比，血清氧化剂（d-ROMs）增加，抗氧化剂（BAP）减少（分别为 P=0.011 和 <0.0001），表明氧化应激增强。此外，HT 患者的 AGEs 水平高于对照组（210 比 140 AU/g 蛋白，P<0.0001），并与 IL-37 水平直接相关（P=0.048）。多元分析表明，影响 IL-37 水平的主要独立预测因子是抗甲状腺抗体（P=0.026）和 AGEs 水平（P=0.001）。
IL-37 在 HT 中上调，可能通过抵消氧化应激和炎症发挥保护作用。
