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A randomized-controlled, double-blind study of the impact of selenium supplementation on thyroid autoimmunity and inflammation with focus on the GPx1 genotypes

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Abstract

Purpose

To analyze the impact of selenium supplementation on serum antiTPO levels and thyroid echogenicity in patients with CAT, evaluating the response in subgroups with different GPx1 genotypes.

Methods

CAT patients (n = 55) with positive antiTPO were randomized to selenomethionine (SeMet) 200 μg daily (n = 28) or placebo (n = 27) for 3 months. Assessments included GPx1 genotyping at baseline and serum levels of plasma selenium, erythrocyte GPx1 activity, antiTPO and thyroid echogenicity at baseline, and 3 and 6 months.

Results

In the SeMet group, the increase in plasma levels of selenium and erythrocyte GPx1 activity was similar among patients with different GPx1 genotypes. In the overall cohort, patients randomized to SeMet showed a 5 % decrease in antiTPO levels at 3 months (p = non-significant) and 20 % at 6 months (p < 0.001 versus 3 months). In contrast, patients in the placebo group did not show significant changes in antiTPO levels at any time point. Subgroup analysis showed that patients with different GPx1 genotypes presented comparable responses in antiTPO levels and echogenicity index to SeMet.

Conclusions

Selenium supplementation decreased serum antiTPO levels in CAT patients, with similar response among patients with different GPx1 genotypes.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Berenice B. Mendonça (head of the Endocrinology Division), Marcos Maeda (statistics analyses), Milena Braga-Basaria (manuscript comments and editorial suggestions) and Jessica Kantrowitz (text editing) for their assistance. The study was supported by a grant from the “Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo” (FAPESP) (No.: 2011/52059-3).

Conflict of interest

The authors have no potential conflict of interest to declare.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. This article does not contain any studies with animals performed by any of the authors.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Correspondence to M. Knobel.

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de Farias, C.R., Cardoso, B.R., de Oliveira, G.M.B. et al. A randomized-controlled, double-blind study of the impact of selenium supplementation on thyroid autoimmunity and inflammation with focus on the GPx1 genotypes. J Endocrinol Invest 38, 1065–1074 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40618-015-0285-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40618-015-0285-8

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