CONCENTRATIONS OF SEVERAL CYTOKINES IN BLOOD SERUM IN WOMEN WITH AUTOIMMUNE THYROIDITIS
147 women aged 31-47 years with autoimmune thyroiditis were examined. The control group included 63 apparently healthy women of the same age without thyroid disease. Using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, serum levels of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukins (IL) -1β, -6, -8, -17A, receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa β ligand (RANKL) and osteoprotegerin (OPG) were determined. The median, interquartile range and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient were calculated. The Mann-Whitney test was used to compare two independent samples. Autoimmune damage of the thyroid gland was characterized by a significant (p<0,001) increase in the levels of IL-1β and IL-6 against the background of a trend towards an increase of serum IL-17A concentration (p=0,067). At the same time, the values of TNF-α and IL-8 did not differ significantly from those of women in the control group (p=0,166 and p=0,102, respectively). Also, autoimmune thyroiditis in women was accompanied by a significant increase of RANKL concentration (p=0.029), while the OPG content remained at control levels (p=0,988). A regular decrease in the OPG/RANKL ratio was also recorded (p=0,017). The presence of a significant (p<0,05) positive relationship of IL-6 concentrations with TNF-α, IL-8, IL-17A and RANKL values, as well as between RANKL and IL-8 values was established. In addition, the concentration of RANKL was characterized by a direct correlation with the content of the anti-inflammatory mediator OPG. Attention is drawn to the revealed negative correlation between the OPG/RANKL index and IL-6 values. Autoimmune thyroiditis in women is characterized by a significant increase of serum levels of IL-1β, IL-6, RANKL and a decrease in the OPG/RANKL index, while the indices of IL-8, TNF-α and OPG production do not change significantly. For IL-6 concentrations, a positive correlation was established with the values of TNF-α, IL-8, IL-17 and negative - with the OPG/RANKL ratio. RANKL values have a direct relationship with IL-6, IL-8 and OPG levels.