Natural Killer Cells in Graves' Disease: Increased Frequency but Impaired Degranulation Ability Compared to Healthy Controls.

ABSTRACT: Graves' disease (GD) is an autoimmune disorder, driven by the appearance of circulating autoantibodies (Ab) against the thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) receptor, thus causing hyperthyroidism. While antithyroid drugs, the only available treatment for GD, carry a significant risk of relapse, advances in immunology could pave the way for more effective therapies. Natural killer (NK) cells, divided into cytotoxic CD56^dim and cytokine-secreting CD56^bright subsets, regulate immune responses through cytokine production and cell lysis and may play a role in the pathogenesis of GD. To investigate their involvement, we conducted flow cytometry on peripheral blood samples from 131 GD patients at various stages (disease onset, on antithyroid drugs, and in remission) and 97 age-

SUBMITTER: Gallo D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11816991 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature