Interleukin-1 affects the function of cultured human thyroid cells.

Cytokines are peptide hormones essential for cellular communication in the immune response. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of cytokines, especially recombinant interleukin 1 β (rIL-1β ), on human thyroid cells. Thyroglobulin (Tg) was measured by a double antibody radioimmunoassay, and cyclie AMP (camp) by a competitive protein binding assay, Supernatants from unstimulated and phytohaemagglutinin-stimulated blood mononuclear cells were added to human thyroid cells cultured in monolayers. A dose-dependent inhibition of the secretion of Tg and camp secretion, while at physiological levels (10^-1-10^-2 U/ml) exhibited an inhibition of Tg and cAMP secretion, while at physiological levels (10^-5-10^-3 U/ml), the secretion of Tg was enhanced. The similar stimulation of camp was demonstrated in subcultures. These in vitro studies suggest that IL-1β may play a role in the pathogenesis of autoimmune thyroid diseases. Further, the stimulations at low concentrations indicate that IL-1β may regulate the function of the thyroid gland under physiological conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]