The Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China.
Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Pathophysiology, Ningbo University School of Medicine, Ningbo, China.
J Clin Lab Anal. 2022 Oct;36(10):e24676. doi: 10.1002/jcla.24676. Epub 2022 Aug 29.
Interleukin (IL)-41, also known as Metrnl, is a novel immunomodulatory cytokine, which is involved in the pathogenesis of many inflammatory and metabolic diseases, but its role in thyroid autoimmune diseases is not clear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the serum IL-41 levels in patients with Graves' disease (GD) and its relationship with GD.
This study included a total of 49 GD patients and 47 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals. All baseline data were obtained by physical examination. Free triiodothyronine 3 (FT3), free triiodothyronine 4 (FT4), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), anti-thyroglobulin antibodies (TgAb), thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb), and thyrotropin receptor antibody (TRAb) levels in plasma of GD patients were measured by chemiluminescence. The high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP) and white blood cell count (WBC) were detected using automated biochemical analyzer. Serum IL-41 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
Serum IL-41 levels in patients with GD were significantly lower than those in healthy controls (201.0 vs. 260.8 pg/mL, p < 0.05). There was a significant positive correlation between IL-41 level and CRP (r = 0.2947, p = 0.0385) and WBC (r = 0.4104, p = 0.0034) in GD patients. CRP was positively correlated with TRAb (r = 0.2874, p = 0.0452) and TSH (r = 0.3651, p = 0.0099) levels in GD patients.
This study demonstrates that GD patients have decreased serum IL-41 levels, and IL-41 plays a potential role in abnormal immune response of GD patients.
白细胞介素（IL）-41，也称为 Metrnl，是一种新型免疫调节细胞因子，参与许多炎症和代谢性疾病的发病机制，但它在甲状腺自身免疫性疾病中的作用尚不清楚。本研究旨在评估 Graves 病（GD）患者血清 IL-41 水平及其与 GD 的关系。
本研究共纳入 49 例 GD 患者和 47 名年龄和性别匹配的健康对照者。所有基线数据均通过体格检查获得。采用化学发光法检测 GD 患者血浆游离三碘甲状腺原氨酸 3（FT3）、游离甲状腺素 4（FT4）、促甲状腺激素（TSH）、抗甲状腺球蛋白抗体（TgAb）、甲状腺过氧化物酶抗体（TPOAb）和促甲状腺素受体抗体（TRAb）水平。采用全自动生化分析仪检测高敏 C 反应蛋白（CRP）和白细胞计数（WBC）。采用酶联免疫吸附试验检测血清 IL-41 水平。
GD 患者血清 IL-41 水平明显低于健康对照组（201.0 比 260.8 pg/mL，p<0.05）。GD 患者的 IL-41 水平与 CRP（r=0.2947，p=0.0385）和 WBC（r=0.4104，p=0.0034）呈显著正相关。CRP 与 GD 患者的 TRAb（r=0.2874，p=0.0452）和 TSH（r=0.3651，p=0.0099）呈正相关。
本研究表明，GD 患者血清 IL-41 水平降低，IL-41 可能在 GD 患者异常免疫反应中发挥作用。
