Research progress in the mechanism of selenium supplement therapy for thyroid associated ophthalmopathy

Thyroid associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) is an organ-specific autoimmune-inflammatory disorder, ranking top among the orbital diseases with highest incidences.TAO is characterized by a complex pathogenesis, including glycosaminoglycan and hyaluronic acid deposition, fibrosis of extraocular muscle and adipose degeneration of ocular tissue.The physical manifestations of the disease include periorbital edema, double vision, ophthalmoptosis, ocular dryness, eyelid retraction and on occasion vision loss secondary to optic nerve compression.Selenium evolves in the diversified pathogenesis of TAO.Although the therapeutic effects for TAO of selenium have already been proven, some problems appear to be no clear among the clinicians, such as its optimum dose, duration of the treatment, and safety to date, etc.Nowadays, the mechanism of selenium supplementation in TAO treatment includes neutralization of reactive oxygen, inhibition of HLA-DR expression, inhibition of secretion of TSHR-Ab and TPO-Ab.The aim of the review was to summarize the studies of selenium supplementation theray for TAO.