Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42473870›Full record

ArticleEuropean thyroid journal2026

TNFα drives disease-specific chemokine networks and orbital tissue remodeling in a preclinical model of thyroid eye disease.

Anke Daser, Anne Gulbins, Mareike Horstmann, Jamila Kalisch, Insa Nolte, Fahimeh Hashemi Arani, Stephan Lang, Stefan Mattheis, Nikolaos E Bechrakis, J Paul Banga and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in European thyroid journal, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Anke DaserOrbital Diseases Science Lab (ODSL), Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Essen , Essen, Germany.
Anne GulbinsOrbital Diseases Science Lab (ODSL), Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Essen , Essen, Germany.
Mareike HorstmannOrbital Diseases Science Lab (ODSL), Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Essen , Essen, Germany.
Jamila KalischOrbital Diseases Science Lab (ODSL), Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Essen , Essen, Germany.
Insa NolteOrbital Diseases Science Lab (ODSL), Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Essen , Essen, Germany.
Fahimeh Hashemi AraniOrbital Diseases Science Lab (ODSL), Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Essen , Essen, Germany.
Stephan LangDepartment of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Essen , Essen, Germany.
Stefan MattheisDepartment of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Essen , Essen, Germany.
Nikolaos E BechrakisOrbital Diseases Science Lab (ODSL), Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Essen , Essen, Germany.
J Paul BangaOrbital Diseases Science Lab (ODSL), Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Essen , Essen, Germany.
Anja EcksteinOrbital Diseases Science Lab (ODSL), Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Essen , Essen, Germany.
Gina-Eva GörtzOrbital Diseases Science Lab (ODSL), Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Essen , Essen, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-3380-2635

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThyroid eye disease (TED) is characterized by orbital inflammation, fibroblast activation, and pathological tissue remodeling. While autoimmunity to the thyrotropin receptor (TSHR) initiates disease, the contribution of proinflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor (TNFα), to fibroblast differentiation and extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling remains incompletely understood.

methodsA mouse model of TED was generated by immunization with a plasmid encoding the human TSHR A-subunit. Orbital tissues were analyzed for immune cell infiltration and cytokine expression. Primary murine orbital fibroblasts (mOFs) from TSHR- and control β-Gal-immunized mice were treated with TNFα or IFNγ. The expression of cytokines, chemokines, adiponectin, TGFβ, hyaluronic acid (HA), and hyaluronan synthase 2 (HAS2) was assessed by ELISA, qPCR, and western blotting.

resultsTSHR-immunized mice displayed marked orbital macrophage infiltration accompanied by elevated TNFα levels. TNFα induced a strong proinflammatory response in mOFs, with robust IL-6 and IL-8 secretion and an IL-6-dominant profile in TSHR-derived cells. TNFα also upregulated CCL2, CCL20, and CXCL10, supporting enhanced immune cell recruitment. Moreover, TNFα reduced adiponectin while increasing TGFβ in TSHR mOFs, indicating activation of profibrotic pathways. TNFα significantly increased HA production and HAS2 expression, particularly in TSHR-derived fibroblasts, demonstrating enhanced ECM synthesis under autoimmune conditions.

conclusionThese findings identify TNFα as a central regulator linking inflammation to adipogenic suppression, profibrotic signaling, and ECM remodeling in a TSHR-immunized mouse model of TED. Enhanced HA/HAS2 induction underscores a disease-specific sensitivity of orbital fibroblasts to TNFα. Targeting TNFα or its downstream IL-6/TGFβ-ECM axis may offer a promising therapeutic strategy to limit pathological tissue remodeling in TED.

Indexed as

ChemokinesGraves OphthalmopathyOrbitTumor Necrosis Factor-alphaAnimalsCells, CulturedDisease Models, AnimalFibroblastsHumansMiceMice, Inbred C57BLReceptors, ThyrotropinTransforming Growth Factor betaChemokinesReceptors, ThyrotropinTransforming Growth Factor betaTumor Necrosis Factor-alphaautoimmune diseasecytokinesGraves’ diseasemacrophagespreclinical mouse modelthyroid eye diseasetumor necrosis factor (TNFα)

Identifiers

PMID42473870
PMCPMC13482796

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.