Thyroid Eye Disease (TED) Monocytes Express a Functional Thyrotropin Receptor and Express Increased IL-6 and IL-8: Possible Mechanistic Implications

Our results demonstrate functional TSHR on monocytes, and TSHR signaling stimulates proinflammatory cytokine and reactive oxygen species response, with increased response in monocytes from patients with TED. This suggests an important role for stimulatory autoantibodies-TSHR interaction in monocyte function and activation, which may be relevant to TED development.