title: Circulating Th17 cytokine levels are altered in Hashimoto's thyroiditis.
abstract: The disrupted autoimmune response in Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) has long been considered to be dominantly T helper type 1 (Th1) mediated. Recent advances in the field of immunology have introduced a new class of effector T cells, named 'Th17', which plays important roles in autoimmune disorders once thought to be merely Th1 mediated. We aimed to examine the levels of major Th17 cytokines in patients with HT in this study. We studied serum interleukin 17 (IL-17) and interleukin 23 (IL-23) levels in 46 newly diagnosed, untreated patients with HT (40 women and 6 men, aged 40.0 ± 11.8 years) divided into euthyroid (n=22) and hypothyroid (n=24) groups and compared them with age and sex matched 26 healthy euthyroid controls without HT (21 women and 5 men; aged 36.0 ± 12.9 years). Serum IL-17 and IL-23 levels were significantly different among euthyroid and hypothyroid HT patients and controls, with highest levels obtained in the euthyroid HT group (p=0.041 for IL-17 and p<0.001 for IL-23). TSH was negatively and FT4 was positively correlated with IL-17 (p=0.016 for TSH and p=0.004 for FT4) and IL-23 (p<0.001 for TSH and p=0.003 for FT4) levels. There were no correlations between thyroid volumes calculated on thyroid ultrasonography and IL-17 (p=0.630) or IL-23 (p=0.321) levels. In conclusion, the levels of IL-17, one of the major effector cytokines of the Th17 system, and IL-23, which had been implicated in the generation, survival and expansion of Th17 cells, are altered in HT. How thyroid hormone status and the course of disease affect Th17 system in chronic autoimmune thyroiditis needs to be determined with further studies.
authors.affiliation: Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Gazi Universitesi Hastanesi Endokrinoloji BD, Besevler 06100, Ankara, Turkey. Electronic address: ceylakonca@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Ceyla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Konca Degertekin
authors.affiliation: Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Gazi Universitesi Hastanesi Endokrinoloji BD, Besevler 06100, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Banu
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Aktas Yilmaz
authors.affiliation: Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Gazi Universitesi Hastanesi Endokrinoloji BD, Besevler 06100, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Fusun
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Balos Toruner
authors.affiliation: Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Microbiology, Gazi Universitesi Hastanesi Endokrinoloji BD, Besevler 06100, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ayse
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kalkanci
authors.affiliation: Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Gazi Universitesi Hastanesi Endokrinoloji BD, Besevler 06100, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ozlem
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Turhan Iyidir
authors.affiliation: Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Microbiology, Gazi Universitesi Hastanesi Endokrinoloji BD, Besevler 06100, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Isıl
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fidan
authors.affiliation: Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Microbiology, Gazi Universitesi Hastanesi Endokrinoloji BD, Besevler 06100, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Emine
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yesilyurt
authors.affiliation: Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Gazi Universitesi Hastanesi Endokrinoloji BD, Besevler 06100, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Nuri
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cakır
authors.affiliation: Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Microbiology, Gazi Universitesi Hastanesi Endokrinoloji BD, Besevler 06100, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Semra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kustimur
authors.affiliation: Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Gazi Universitesi Hastanesi Endokrinoloji BD, Besevler 06100, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Metin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arslan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015551:Autoimmunity; D005260:Female; D050031:Hashimoto Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007037:Hypothyroidism / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology; D020381:Interleukin-17 / Q000097:blood*; D053759:Interleukin-23 / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D058504:Th17 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000097:blood; D014463:Ultrasonography; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: C508717:IL17A protein, human; D020381:Interleukin-17; D053759:Interleukin-23; D013972:Thyrotropin
keywords: Hashimoto’s thyroiditis; Hypothyroidism; Interleukin 17; Interleukin 23; Th17