The Expression Of The Prolactin Receptor Messenger Ribonucleic Acid On Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells In Patients With Graves Disease

Objective:To evaluate the status of the prolactin receptor (PRLR) mRNA which expressed on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and the changes of serum prolactin (PRL) levels in patients with Graves disease (GD),and to investigate the ralationship between PRL and GD..Methods: groups were divided as follows:①Control group:There were 12 healthy subjects, 7 males and 5 females, whose age were (31.25±5.64) years;The subject must had no family history of thyroid disease, whose thyroid function and thyroid size was normal ;②GD group: There were 19 newly diagnosed or untreated Patients with GD, 10 males and 9 females, whose age were (32.68±9.19) years;The gender and age of two groups were similar,and the female's menstrual cycle were matched. The subjects were excluded if they had treated hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism or other thyroid diseases,autoimmune diseases,or if they were pregnancy or lactation,combined with acute infection,whose liver or kidney function were significantly falure.Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(RQ-PCR) were used to detect the expression of PRLR messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) on PBMC ,immunochemiluminescence assay (ICMA) was used to mesure the level of the serum PRL,thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) and thyroglobulin antibody (TGAb). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent was used to determinate the levels of the serum interleukin (IL)-2 and IL-4.Results:①Both groups expressed PRLRmRNA on PBMC, while the expression in GD group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P <0.05);②The serum PRL level of GD group was slightly higher than that of the control group, but there were no significant (P> 0.05);③The positive rate of TGAb, TPOAb in the GD patients group was higher than that in the control group, The TGAb, TPOAb positive rate of the subjects whose PRL≥15ng / ml was higher than that of the subjects whose PRL< 15ng/ml , the difference was statistically significant (P <0.05).④There were no significant difference of the IL-2 and the IL-4 level between the GD patients group and the control group(p> 0.05),nor did it between the subjects whose PRL≥15ng / ml and the subjects whose PRL<15ng / ml (p> 0.05).Conclusion:①The expression of PRLR mRNA on PBMC are increased in GD patients, companied with the level of serum PRL increase,which indicated that PRL may relate to the onset of GD.②That the positive rate of TGAb, TPOAb is significantly higher in increased PRL group,compared to the nomal PRL group ,hint that PRL may be involved in the process of GD's autoimmune.