Peripheral blood T lymphocyte sensitization to thyroid microsomal antigen from patients with Graves' disease negative...

We have studied thyrocyte HLA-DR expression induced by supernatants of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) stimulated by thyroid microsomal antigen (TMA), as an index of sensitization of the T lymphocyte in autoimmune thyroid diseases; we have studied PBMC from 11 normal control persons and 19 patients with Graves' disease (GD) in whom serum anti-thyroid microsomal antibodies (AMA) were either not detectable (9 patients) or were positive (10 patients). Thyrocyte HLA-DR induction in response to TMA-treated PBMC supernatants from GD was significantly different from that of normal controls (p less than 0.05, ANOVA). TMA-stimulated GD PBMC supernatants increased thyrocyte HLA-DR index [TMA 1 ng/ml, SI 143 +/- 82 (mean +/- SD), p less than 0.05], but normal PBMC supernatants did not. However there was no significant difference in response in terms of the thyrocyte HLA-DR expression induced by TMA-stimulated PBMC supernatants between AMA seronegative vs seropositive GD. These results suggest the possibility of some dissociation of the activities of T lymphocytes and B lymphocytes in patients with GD in response to thyroid microsomal antigen with or without anti-thyroid microsomal antibodies.