The sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor modulator FTY720 prevents iodide-induced autoimmune thyroiditis in non-obese diabetic mice

Abstract

FTY720 is an immunomodulator that alters migration and homing of lymphocytes via sphingosine 1-phosphate receptors. This compound has been shown to be effective in suppressing autoimmune diseases in experimental and clinical settings. In the present study, we tested whether FTY720 prevented autoimmune thyroiditis in iodide-treated non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice, a model of Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) in humans. Mice were given 0.05% iodide water for 8 weeks, and this treatment effectively induced thyroiditis. Iodide-treated mice were injected intraperitoneally with either saline or FTY720 during the iodide treatment. FTY720 clearly suppressed the development of thyroiditis and reduced serum anti-thyroglobulin antibody levels. The number of circulating lymphocytes and spleen cells including CD4⁺ T cells, CD8⁺ T cells, and CD4⁺Foxp3⁺ T cells was decreased in FTY720-treated mice. Our results indicate that FTY720 has immunomodulatory effects on iodide-induced autoimmune thyroiditis in NOD mice and may be a potential candidate for use in the prevention of HT.

Keywords::

• FTY720
• Hashimoto's thyroiditis
• lymphocyte homing
• non-obese diabetic mouse
• sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Dr Masao Ono and Dr Katsura Kohata (Department of Histopathology and Department of Hematology and Rheumatology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, respectively) for peripheral blood cell counting.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.