Lack of response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells to thyroid microsomal antigen in nontoxic nodular goiters.
The production of interferon gamma (IFN gamma) by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from patients with nontoxic nodular goiter (NTNG), autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD), and normal persons (NL) has been studied in vitro, with the express object of comparing NTNG and AITD. PBMC were cultured with thyroid microsomal antigen (TMc), thyroglobulin (Tg), and liver microsomal antigen (LMc) at concentrations of 0, 1, 10, 100, and 1000 ng/ml for two days. IFN gamma was measured by a spot-ELISA technique which determines the number of cells secreting IFN gamma. There were no significant differences in the basal numbers of IFN gamma secreting cells between NL, AITD, and NTNG PBMC in this study. In AITD PBMC, TMc antigen caused a significant increase in the number of IFN gamma secreting cells, compared with the numbers in unstimulated AITD PBMC (percent IFN gamma secreting cells), whereas Tg and LMc antigen caused a significant decrease in all groups. The maximal percentage change in IFN gamma secreting cells (i.e., compared to unstimulated PBMC) did not increase significantly in NTNG in response to TMc antigen, in contrast to the AITD PBMC. Based on these findings, it is concluded that NTNG PBMC are not sensitized to the thyroid antigens tested; this is unlike the findings from AITD PBMC.
Sakatsume
Y
Y
Endocrinology Research Laboratory, Wellesley Hospital, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Matsubayashi
S
S
Kasuga
Y
Y
Volpé
R
R
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006044:Goiter, Nodular / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008861:Microsomes / Q000276:immunology; D008862:Microsomes, Liver / Q000276:immunology; D008875:Middle Aged; D013954:Thyroglobulin / Q000276:immunology; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000276:immunology*
D001323:Autoantibodies; C056626:thyroid microsomal antibodies; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D013954:Thyroglobulin