This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 28/5/492    most recent Final Manuscript Author Manuscript Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Copyright Permission Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Rotondi, M. Articles by Romagnani, P. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Rotondi, M. Articles by Romagnani, P. Pubmed/NCBI databases Medline Plus Health Information Autoimmune Diseases Endocrine Diseases

Role of Chemokines in Endocrine Autoimmune Diseases

Excellence Center for Research, Transfer and High Education De Novo Therapies (M.R., S.R., M.S., P.R.), University of Florence, 50121 Florence, Italy; and Unit of Internal Medicine and Endocrinology (M.R., L.C.), Istituto Superiore per la Prevenzione e Sicurezza del Lavoro Laboratory for Endocrine Disruptors, Fondazione Salvatore Maugeri, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico, Chair of Endocrinology, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy

Correspondence: Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Mario Rotondi, M.D., Ph.D., Unit of Internal Medicine and Endocrinology, Istituto Superiore per la Prevenzione e Sicurezza del Lavoro Laboratory for Endocrine Disruptors, Fondazione Salvatore Maugeri, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico, Via S. Maugeri 4, 27100 Pavia, Italy. E-mail: mrotondi{at}fsm.it

Chemokines are a group of peptides of low molecular weight that induce the chemotaxis of different leukocyte subtypes. The major function of chemokines is the recruitment of leukocytes to inflammation sites, but they also play a role in tumoral growth, angiogenesis, and organ sclerosis. In the last few years, experimental evidence accumulated supporting the concept that interferon- (IFN-) inducible chemokines (CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11) and their receptor, CXCR3, play an important role in the initial stage of autoimmune disorders involving endocrine glands. The fact that, after IFN- stimulation, endocrine epithelial cells secrete CXCL10, which in turn recruits type 1 T helper lymphocytes expressing CXCR3 and secreting IFN-, thus perpetuating autoimmune inflammation, strongly supports the concept that chemokines play an important role in endocrine autoimmunity. This article reviews the recent literature including basic science, animal models, and clinical studies, regarding the role of these chemokines in autoimmune endocrine diseases. The potential clinical applications of assaying the serum levels of CXCL10 and the value of such measurements are reviewed. Clinical studies addressing the issue of a role for serum CXCL10 measurement in Graves’ disease, Graves’ ophthalmopathy, chronic autoimmune thyroiditis, type 1 diabetes mellitus, and Addison’s disease have been considered. The principal aim was to propose that chemokines, and in particular CXCL10, should no longer be considered as belonging exclusively to basic science, but rather should be used for providing new insights in the clinical management of patients with endocrine autoimmune diseases.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				E. Borgogni, E. Sarchielli, M. Sottili, V. Santarlasci, L. Cosmi, S. Gelmini, A. Lombardi, G. Cantini, G. Perigli, M. Luconi, et al. Elocalcitol Inhibits Inflammatory Responses in Human Thyroid Cells and T Cells Endocrinology, July 1, 2008; 149(7): 3626 - 3634. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Lombardi, G. Cantini, E. Piscitelli, S. Gelmini, M. Francalanci, T. Mello, E. Ceni, G. Varano, G. Forti, M. Rotondi, et al. A New Mechanism Involving ERK Contributes to Rosiglitazone Inhibition of Tumor Necrosis Factor-{alpha} and Interferon-{gamma} Inflammatory Effects in Human Endothelial Cells Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol., April 1, 2008; 28(4): 718 - 724. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C Crescioli, L Cosmi, E Borgogni, V Santarlasci, S Gelmini, M Sottili, E Sarchielli, B Mazzinghi, M Francalanci, A Pezzatini, et al. Methimazole inhibits CXC chemokine ligand 10 secretion in human thyrocytes J. Endocrinol., October 1, 2007; 195(1): 145 - 155. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]