Apoptosis of blood lymphocytes in patients with autoimmune thyroiditis and its treatment

Abstract

Background. The purpose was to determine some links of pathogenesis of nodular goiter on the background of autoimmune thyroiditis (АТ) by studying the activity of lipid and protein peroxidation processes, apoptosis of peripheral blood lymphocytes and level of some cytokines before and after surgical intervention, to develop the effective me­thods of its correction. Materials and methods. Eighty women were exa­mined with nodular goiter on the background of АТ. Results. This article presents results of apoptosis detection in blood lymphocytes of patients with AT in euthyroid and hypothyroid state. Conclusions. Contents of CD95+, annexin V-positive (apoptotic) cells and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the blood were analyzed. It was shown that altered regulation of programmed lymphocyte death in autoimmune thyroiditis is manifested by increased content of TNF-α and CD95+ lymphocytes associated with decreased number of apoptotic cells in the blood. Meanwhile, this pathology is more expressed in patients with AT with euthyroid state than in thyroid hypofunction. Possible mechanisms of the revealed disturbances are discussed.

Keywords

• nodular goiter
• autoimmune thyroiditis
• apoptosis
• CD95
• tumor necrosis factor-α
• interleukin-1β
• treatment