Expressions Of Interleukin-23 And Interleukin-17 In Thyroid Tissue In Patients With Hashimoto Thyroiditis

BackgroundHashimoto thyroiditis(HT), which is also called chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis, is one of organ-specific autoimmune diseases. Its pathogenesy has been considered to be closed to autoimmunity disorder. Classical immunology theory, autoreactivity T cells and autoantibody mediate HT, cytokine is a significant clue. Th17---a new CD4+ helper T cell subset which produce IL-17 is a current hot spot. Th17 cells producing IL-17 dependent on IL-23. IL-23, an IL-12 family cytokine consisting of the p19 and p40 subunits, comes from activated dendritic cells. IL-23 is the suruival factor of Th17. Recent investigations discovered that IL-23/ IL-17 plays an significant role in the development of autoimmune dieases.ObjectiveTo investigate the expressions and pathogenesis of IL-23/IL-17 in thyroid tissue of patients with HT.MethodTests one:Takeing the tissue from the HT sickness and the thyroid adenoma patients who were made subtotal thyroidectomy or total thyroidectomy. Through Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction(RT-PCR) method to examine the expression of IL-23p19,IL-17 mRNA in the thyroid tissue from HT patients and normal thyroid tissue. Test two:Takeing the tissue from the HT sickness and the thyroid adenoma patients who were made subtotal thyroidectomy or total thyroidectomy.Through Western blot to examine the expression of IL-23p19,IL-17 proteins in the thyroid tissue from HT patients and normal thyroid tissue.ResultsRT-PCR showed that the average expressions of IL-23p19 and IL-17 mRNA were 1.0154±0.5749 and 0.5952±0.2513 respectively in HT;the expression of IL-23p19 and IL-17 mRNA in HT were significantly higher vs normal controls(P<0.05);There were positive correlations between the expression of IL-23p19 and IL-17(P <0.01,r=0.861). Western blot showed that the average expressions of IL-23p19 and IL-17 proteins were 0.6627±0.3273 and 2.3687±0.6419 respectively in HT;the expressions of IL-23p19 and IL-17 proteins in HT were significantly higher vs normal controls(P<0.05).ConclusionThe higher expressions of IL-23 and IL-17 in HT thyroid tissue may participate in the immune pathological process of HT.