ECE2017 Eposter Presentations: Thyroid Thyroid (non-cancer) (260 abstracts)
1Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Endocrinology Units, University of Pisa and University Hospital of Pisa, Pisa, Italy; 2Department of Surgical, Medical and Molecular Pathology, Ophthalmopathy Unit I, University of Pisa and University Hospital of Pisa, Pisa, Italy; 3Department of Surgical, Medical and Molecular Pathology, ENT Unit I, University of Pisa and University Hospital of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
Oxidative stress plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of Graves Orbitopathy (GO), supporting the use of antioxidants in GO patients. Selenium has a beneficial effect, but other antioxidants have not been investigated. Here we evaluated several antioxidants in primary cultures of orbital fibroblasts from GO patients and control subjects. The following substances were tested: Vitamin C (Vit-C), N-Acetyl-l-Cysteine (NAC), melatonin (Mel), retinol (Ret), beta-carotene (bCar), Vitamin E (Vit-E). Cells were treated with H2O2, which induced oxidative stress (increased glutathione disulfide). Pre-incubation with non cytotoxic concentrations of all substances in GO, and with Vit-C, NAC and Mel in control fibroblasts, prevented oxidative stress. H2O2 caused increased proliferation, which was reduced by Vit-C, NAC and bCar in GO, but not in control fibroblasts. H2O2 did not affect HA release, which was however reduced by NAC and melatonin in GO, and by all substances except for Vit-E in control fibroblasts. Our findings show an antioxidant actions of several compounds, especially NAC, in orbital fibroblasts. Some of the actions are exclusive to GO fibroblasts. These observation have important clinical implication, in that some of these antioxidants could be tested in patients with GO.