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Objective
To observe the effects of interleukin-17A (IL-17A) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) on CD34– orbital fibroblasts (OFs) in patients with Graves ophthalmopathy (GO), and to explore the pathogenesis of GO.
Methods
Orbital adipose connective tissue and lacrimal gland tissue of 5 patients with GO were collected during orbital decompression surgery.These tissue was cultured by tissue explant culture method.CD34– OFs were enriched by immunomagnetic beads after passage and expansion.The cultured cells were divided into transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) group, TGF-β+ 10 ng/ml IL-17A group, TGF-β+ 100 ng/ml IL-17A group, TGF-β+ 1 ng/ml IFN-γ group and TGF-β+ 5 ng/ml IFN-γ group.The fibrosis of the cells was induced with 5 ng/ml TGF-β and then was treated with different concentrations of IL-17A or IFN-γ according to grouping.The expression of fibronectin, collagen type Ⅰ, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and tissue metalloproteinase inhibitor-1 (TIMP-1) in CD34– OFs derived from both orbital adipose connective tissue and lacrimal gland tissue were detected by Western blot.This study protocol was approved by an Ethic Committee of Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital (SH9H-2020-TK195-1) and written informed consent was obtained from each patient.
Results
For CD34– OFs derived from orbital adipose connective tissue, the relative expressions of fibronectin, type Ⅰ collagen, α-SMA and TIMP-1 protein were significantly higher in the TGF-β+ 100 ng/ml IL-17A group than those in the TGF-β group and TGF-β+ 10 ng/ml IL-17A group (all at P<0.05); the relative expressions of fibronectin, type Ⅰ collagen and α-SMA in the cells in the TGF-β+ 5 ng/ml IFN-γ group were significantly lower than those in the TGF-β group and the TGF-β+ 1 ng/ml IFN-γ group (all at P<0.05). For CD34– OFs derived from lacrimal gland, the relative expressions of fibronectin, type Ⅰ collagen, α-SMA and TIMP-1 protein in the TGF-β+ 100 ng/ml IL-17A group were significantly higher than those in the TGF-β group and the TGF-β+ 10 ng/ml IL-17A group (all at P<0.05); the relative expressions of fibronectin, type Ⅰ collagen and TIMP-1 protein in the TGF-β+ 1 ng/ml IFN-γ group were significantly higher than those in the TGF-β group and TGF-β+ 5 ng/ml IFN-γ group, and the relative expression of α-SMA protein was significantly higher than that in the TGF-β+ 5 ng/ml IFN-γ group (all at P<0.05).
Conclusions
High level of IL-17A can promote the fibrosis of TGF-β-induced CD34– OFs, and high level of IFN-γ inhibits the fibrosis of TGF-β-induced CD34– OFs.