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The levels of 12 cytokines and growth factors in tears: hyperthyreosis vs euthyreosis

  • Oculoplastics and Orbit
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Abstract

Purpose

Simultaneous analyses of the contents and ratios of 12 cytokines and growth factors in single samples of human tears were performed, and the results were compared between a group of healthy subjects and a group of patients with Graves’ hyperthyreosis (GH) without thyroid-associated orbitopathy (TAO).

Methods

Determinations and concentration measurements of interleukins (IL-2, IL4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-1α, and IL-1β) interferon (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP-1), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and epidermal growth factor (EGF) were performed with single tear samples from 21 patients with hyperthyreosis and 22 healthy subjects. The analyses were performed using a Randox microchip with an Evidence Biochip Array Analyzer.

Results

We found significant differences between the healthy donor group and the hyperthyreosis group in the levels of IL-6, IL-10, VEGF, IL-1α, and MCP-1. The concentration of IL-6 was considerably higher in the hyperthyreosis group, IL-10 was higher in the healthy donor group, and VEGF and MPC-1 were higher in the hyperthyreosis group. The IL-8 and IFN-γ levels were higher in the hyperthyreosis group. The ratios of all of the cytokines to anti-inflammatory IL-10 were significantly elevated in the hyperthyreosis group.

Conclusion

There are clear differences in the levels of cytokines and growth factors in the tears of healthy subjects and patients with GH without TAO. Tear cytokine changes and related dysfunctional tear syndrome (DTS) could be an early sign of occult TAO in Graves’ hyperthyreosis patients.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, Clinical Hospital Centre Zagreb, Medical School University of Zagreb, Kispaticeva 12, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia

    Jelena Juri Mandić, Krešimir Mandić, Danijela Mrazovac & Nenad Vukojević

  2. Department of Laboratory Diagnostics, Clinical Hospital Centre Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia

    Ana Kozmar

  3. Department of Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Protection, Clinical Hospital Centre Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia

    Sanja Kusačić-Kuna

  4. Department for Mathematics and Statistical Analysis, Faculty of Forestry, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia

    Anamarija Jazbec

Authors
  1. Jelena Juri Mandić
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  5. Krešimir Mandić
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Correspondence to Jelena Juri Mandić.

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All authors certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest (such as honoraria; educational grants; participation in speakers’ bureaus; membership, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, or other equity interest; and expert testimony or patent-licensing arrangements), or non-financial interest (such as personal or professional relationships, affiliations, knowledge, or beliefs) in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Mandić, J.J., Kozmar, A., Kusačić-Kuna, S. et al. The levels of 12 cytokines and growth factors in tears: hyperthyreosis vs euthyreosis. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 256, 845–852 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-017-3892-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-017-3892-6

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