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Horm Metab Res 2012; 44(06): 482-487
DOI: 10.1055/s-0032-1308973
Humans, Clinical
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Elevated Serum IL-16 and RANTES Levels in Patients with Autoimmune Thyroid Diseases and Modulation by Methimazole Therapy

X. Gu
1   Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical College, Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, P. R. China
,
L. Zheng
1   Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical College, Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, P. R. China
,
X. Chen
1   Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical College, Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, P. R. China
,
L. Ruan
1   Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical College, Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, P. R. China
,
H. Zhang
1   Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical College, Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, P. R. China
,
S. Ge
1   Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical College, Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, P. R. China
,
H. Zhu
1   Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical College, Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, P. R. China
,
X. Lin
1   Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical College, Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, P. R. China
,
F. Shen
1   Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical College, Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, P. R. China
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

received 23 December 2011

accepted 01 March 2012

Publication Date:
02 April 2012 (online)

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Abstract

Interleukine-16 (IL-16) and RANTES (regulated upon activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted) are 2 cytokines with the function of T helper cell recruitment, which might play a key role in pathogenesis of autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD). This study was aimed to evaluate the IL-16 and RANTES in patients with AITD. Serum IL-16 and RANTES levels were measured in patients with Graves’ disease (GD; n=45), Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT; n=68), nontoxic multinodular goiter (NTMNG; n=20), and healthy individuals (n=61). The results showed that serum IL-16 and RANTES levels were elevated both in HT and higher in untreated GD patients when compared to NTMNG patients and the healthy individuals, which were decreased after MMI therapy in untreated GD patients. However, in HT patients, serum IL-16 and RANTES levels were comparable among the conditions of hyperthyroid and euthyroid received by l-thyroxine therapy and untreated hypothyroid. Furthermore, serum IL-16 levels were correlated with FT3, FT4, TRAb in GD, but not in HT patients. The data did not show any correlation between RANTES levels and clinical factors. In conclusion, IL-16 and RANTES might be involved in the pathogenesis of GD and HT, and serum IL-16 levels in GD maybe a potential marker of disease activity and severity.

Key words

interleukine-16 - RANTES - Graves’ disease - Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
 

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