Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 11, 2025

Generation of a Mouse Spontaneous Autoimmune Thyroiditis Model
Published on: March 17, 2023
The effect of thyroid hormone status on selected antioxidant parameters in patients with Graves' disease and active
Magdalena Londzin-Olesik1, Beata Kos-Kudła2, Aleksandra Nowak3
1Department of Endocrinology and Neuroendocrine Tumours, Department of Pathophysiology and Endocrinology, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland. mlondzin@wp.pl.
Introduction:
Oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathogenesis of thyroid-associated orbitopathy (TAO) in patients with Graves' disease (GD). This study assessed the effect of thyroid hormone abnormalities on selected antioxidant parameters in patients with active TAO.
Material And Methods:
The study group consisted of 56 patients with GD and active TAO treated with antithyroid medication. Depending on the thyroid hormone level, they were subdivided into two groups: Group 1 - hyperthyroid patients (n = 34) and Group 2 - euthyroid patients (n = 22). The total oxidant status expressed as the ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) as well as selected enzymatic and nonenzymatic components of the antioxidant system, including the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and paraoxonase 1 (PON-1), as well as the levels of vitamin C, uric acid, and lipid peroxidation products: malondialdehyde (MDA) and conjugated dienes (CD) were assessed in all enrolled participants.
Results:
The FRAP values in Group 1 were significantly higher than in controls. The FRAP values in Group 2 were lower than in Group 1 and higher than in controls. However, the differences were not significant. In Group 1, the activity of SOD and GPx, as well as serum levels of uric acid, MDA, and CD, were significantly higher than in controls. At the same time, serum PON-1 activity and vitamin C levels were significantly lower in Group 1 than in controls. In Group 2, the SOD activity as well as MDA and CD levels were non-significantly lower than in Group 1 and non-significantly higher than in controls. The activity of GPx in euthyroid patients with TAO was significantly higher than in controls.
Conclusions:
Hyperthyroidism is a significant contributor to oxidative stress in patients with active TAO, which manifests as upregulated lipid peroxidation and antioxidant system activation. Euthyroid state restoration leads to a relative reduction in activity and levels of most studied antioxidant parameters, which still remain above the normal values. The autoimmune inflammation of the orbital tissue seems to be a thyroid hormone status-independent modifier of oxidative stress.
Related Concept Videos
Synthesis and Regulation of Thyroid Hormones
Upon reaching the thyroid gland, TSH stimulates the follicular cells' active uptake of iodide ions from the blood. The ions diffuse to the apical surface of the cells and are oxidized to iodine. The...
Functions of Thyroid Hormones
TH is indispensable for the normal development and maturation of the skeletal, muscular, and nervous systems during fetal and childhood growth. It facilitates bone mineral turnover and regulates protein synthesis in developing tissues, contributing significantly to overall growth and...
The Thyroid Gland
The follicles have a central cavity lined by simple cuboidal to squamous epithelial cells called follicular cells. These cells produce the glycoprotein...
Hormones and Bone Tissue
Hormones That Influence Osteoblasts and/or Maintain the Matrix
Several hormones are necessary for controlling bone growth and maintaining the bone matrix. The pituitary gland secretes growth hormone (GH), which, as its name implies, controls bone growth. This happens in several ways: first, it triggers chondrocyte...
Therapeutic Drug Monitoring: Affecting Factors
Major Hormones and Their Functions
Oxytocin, produced in the hypothalamus and released by the pituitary gland, plays a role in social bonding, childbirth, and...

