ABSTRACT
Autoimmunity is characterized by an impaired self-tolerance and is the major cause for the two common autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD), Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT), and Graves’ disease. The thyroid gland is rich in the trace element selenium (Se), which may modulate the endocrine-immune interface and affect hydrogen peroxide metabolism, inflammation, and autoantibodies (aAb) generation Se transport is mediated by selenoprotein P (SELENOP), and low Se supply is known to increase HT risk. An immunoluminometric assay for detection of aAb to SELENOP was established and used to analyze serum samples from a cohort of thyroid patients. Three biomarkers of Se-status were analyzed, i.e. serum Se concentrations by total reflection X-ray fluorescence, serum SELENOP by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and serum glutathione peroxidase-activity by an enzymatic test. Prevalence of SELENOP-aAb in thyroid patients was higher than in controls, and higher in AITD as compared to other thyroid diseases.
