Nodehi Masoume, Ajami Abolghasem, Izad Maryam, Asgarian Omran Hossein, Esfahanian Fatemeh, Yekaninejad Saeed, Hemmatabadi Mahbobeh, Amouzegar Atieh, Chahardoli Reza, Mansouri Fatemeh, Saboor-Yaraghi Ali Akbar
Department of Applied Cell Sciences, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
Int J Endocrinol Metab. 2021 Sep 19;19(4):e110013. doi: 10.5812/ijem.110013. eCollection 2021 Oct.
Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) is the most prevalent autoimmune disease, and there is no definitive treatment available for this disease. To find the appropriate therapeutic approach, it is necessary to determine the mechanism of this disease. To achieve this purpose, the frequency of CD4 T cells was evaluated in patients with HT and compared with healthy individuals.
Twenty-six female patients with HT, aged 20 - 45 years, enrolled in this study. Based on the level of thyroglobulin antibody (anti-TG) and anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody (anti-TPO) in serum of patients with HT, they were divided into two groups. The serum level of anti-TPO was above 100 IU/mL in the group 1 (n = 13), whereas the serum levels of both anti-TPO and anti-TG were above 100 IU/mL in the group 2 (n = 13). Eleven healthy women were considered control group, or group 3. Using flow cytometry, the frequency of T helper (Th)1, Th2, Th17, T regulatory type 1 (Tr1), and LT CD4IL-4IL-17 cells and mean fluorescent intensity (MFI) of their related cytokines were evaluated.
The frequency of Th2 cells in the groups 1 (anti-TPO > 100) and 2 (anti-TPO > 100 and anti-TG > 100) were more than control group. Only the difference between groups 3 (healthy control) and 2 was significant (P = 0.022). The frequency of LT CD4IL-4IL-17 cells in the group 1 was significantly more than group 3 (P = 0.027); However, the difference between group 2 and 3 was not significant (P = 0.126). The expression of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) in the group 2 (P = 0.001) and group 1 (P = 0.001) was significantly higher than group 3. The frequency of Th17, Th1, and Tr1 cells and MFI of IL-17 and IL-10 were not significantly different between the study groups.
In the present study, no significant differences were observed in the frequency of Th17 and Tr1 cells and in MFI of IL-17 and IL-10 in comparison to healthy individuals. Therefore, trying to make a change in the population of these cells probably does not have a significant therapeutic effect. Since Th2 cells and the expression of IFN-γ increased in women with HT, reducing the frequency of Th2 cells or the expression of IFN-γ may be effective in controlling the disease progression. It may be helpful for these patients to prevent the progression of the disease.
桥本甲状腺炎（HT）是最常见的自身免疫性疾病，目前尚无针对该疾病的确切治疗方法。为找到合适的治疗方法，有必要确定该疾病的发病机制。为实现这一目的，对HT患者的CD4 T细胞频率进行了评估，并与健康个体进行了比较。
本研究纳入了26名年龄在20 - 45岁之间的女性HT患者。根据HT患者血清中甲状腺球蛋白抗体（抗-TG）和抗甲状腺过氧化物酶抗体（抗-TPO）的水平，将她们分为两组。第1组（n = 13）患者的抗-TPO血清水平高于100 IU/mL，而第2组（n = 13）患者的抗-TPO和抗-TG血清水平均高于100 IU/mL。11名健康女性被视为对照组，即第3组。使用流式细胞术评估辅助性T细胞（Th）1、Th2、Th17、1型调节性T细胞（Tr1）和LT CD4IL-4IL-17细胞的频率及其相关细胞因子的平均荧光强度（MFI）。
第1组（抗-TPO>100）和第2组（抗-TPO>100且抗-TG>100）的Th2细胞频率高于对照组。仅第3组（健康对照）与第2组之间的差异具有统计学意义（P = 0.022）。第1组的LT CD4IL-4IL-17细胞频率显著高于第3组（P = 0.027）；然而，第2组与第3组之间的差异无统计学意义（P = 0.126）。第2组（P = 0.001）和第1组（P = 0.001）中干扰素-γ（IFN-γ）的表达显著高于第3组。各研究组之间Th17、Th1和Tr1细胞的频率以及IL-17和IL-10的MFI无显著差异。
在本研究中，与健康个体相比，Th17和Tr1细胞的频率以及IL-17和IL-10的MFI未观察到显著差异。因此，试图改变这些细胞的数量可能不会产生显著的治疗效果。由于HT女性中Th2细胞和IFN-γ的表达增加，降低Th2细胞的频率或IFN-γ的表达可能对控制疾病进展有效。这可能有助于这些患者预防疾病进展。
