Effect of methimazole on the experimental autohnmune thyroiditis and the Ivevls of interferon type Ⅱ or interleukin-10
SHI Pei
XU Zheng-rong
LI Zhao-ying
Abstract：Objective To study the effect of methimazole on experimental autoimmune thyroiditis(EAT) and to discuss the immuno-regulatory mechanism of Th1/Th2 = cytokine disequilibrium by expressing the levels of IFN-γ and IL-10 mRNA. Methods Forty-eight KM mice were randomly divided into 3 groups with 16 mice in each group: normal control group, EAT control group and Methimazole group. Normal control group and EAT control group were given distilled water as control groups. Methimazole treatment group was given intragastric once every day. All mice were administered drugs 28 days continually. Radio-immunoassay(RIA) was used to test the levels of serum thyroglobulin antibody(TgAb) and thyroid pemxidase antibody(TPOAb). Ten samples of thyroid gland in every group were collected for histological analysis and other thyroid gland tissue were used to assay the levels of cytokines(IFN-γ and IL-10 mRNA)through the methods of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR). Results The level of TGAb and TPOAb in Normal group were 5 ～ 6 times higher EAT group. Compared with EAT group, levels of TGAb and TPOAb in Methimazole treatment group significantly decreased (P < 0.05). Compared with EAT group, the expression of IFN-γ mRNA in Methimazole treatment group significantly decreased (P < 0.01) and the expression of IL-10 mRNA significantly increased (P < 0.05). Conclusions Methimazole has some effects on EAT. The protective function of methimazole may be related to downregulating Th1 cytokine and up-regulating Th2 cytokine.
Keywords：Hashimoto diseaseThyroiditis autoimmuneMethimazoleInterferon type ⅡInterleukin-10
Publication Date：2009-01-01
Online Publishing Date：2026-09-14(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：3( 583-585 )