Serum Levels Of Apoptosis-inhibited Molecules SFas,Bcl-2,cytokine IL-1 P In Patients With Graves' Disease And The Role Of Propylthiouracil To Apoptosis Of Cell

Graves' disease (GD) is an organic specific autoimmune disease associated with high thyroid hormone levels, and its morbidity has been increasing in recent years due to many factors, propylthiouracil (PTU) is an effective, safe and widely used thionamide drug. However, this treatment should last for a two-year period and it can relapse easily. The main reason is that we don't exactly know the pathogenesis of GD. With the development of molecular biology perhaps we may find its pathogenesis on molecular levels and treat its methodology as the focus of therapy.Apoptosis participates in the pathogenesis of autoimmune thyroid disease. Some researchers pointed out that the main reason of swollen thyroid and hyperthyroidism in GD is inhibition of apoptosis. Our aim was to confirm whether apoptosis-inhibited molecules sFas, Bcl-2 involve in the pathogenesis of GD. There were a few reports about the role of sFas in GD but none of serum Bcl-2 in GD. IL-1 P ,as a cytokine ,can improve Fas expression in thyrocyte and soluble Fas in serum. In order to studythe pathogenesis of GD and the role of PTU, We determined the serum of soluble Fas (sFas),Bcl-2,IL-lp in patients with GD using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).We Also evaluated the mechanism of PTU related to apoptosis in the peripheral blood lymphocyte, normal thyrocyte and GD thyrocyte. We believe such research may be helpful to improve the treatment of GD in future.MethodsA total of 30 cases of GD and 32 cases of normal controls were studied, sFas,Bcl-2 and IL-1 P were analyzed quantitatively with the ELISA method in all GD cases before and after PTU treatment.. Other features such as TT3, TT4, FT3, FT4, TSH and TGAb, TPOAb were also examined in GD patients. In addition, the role of PTU to peripheral blood lymphocyte, normal thyrocyte and GD thyrocyte in vitro was studied by examinating the density of apoptosis effectors caspase-3,6,7.The datas of each group were expressed as mean ?SD. T-test was performed, and correlation of sFas with FT3, FT4, TPOAb, and TGAb were also performed. All statistical tasks were accomplished with the software of SSPS 10.0.Results1. In vitro PTU can increase the density of casepase-3, an effector of apoptosis in peripheral blood lymphocyte.2. PTU can increase caspase-6 in normal thyrocyte and GD thyrocyte with a higher density of PTU comparing with lymphocyte.3.The levels of serum sFas and Bcl-2 were significantly elevated in patients with GD than that in control subjects (sFas p<0.0001, Bcl-2 p<0.0001) and were decreased after treatment (p<0.0001). There were no correlation of sFas with FT3, FT4, TGAb, and TPOAb. Levels of serum IL-1 P in patients with GD were higher than in the control subjects. However, the levels of IL-1 P was no significant difference in patients with GD.Conclusions1. Apoptosis-inhibited molecules sFas, Bcl-2 in serum may play an important role in the pathogenesis of Graves' disease.2. IL-1 3 in GD before or after treatment is higher than that in normal controls.3. There was no correlation between sFas and FT3, FT4, TGAb, TPOAb4. PTU may induce apoptosis of lymphocyte, normal thyrocyte and GD thyrocyte.