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REVIEW article

Front. Cell Dev. Biol.
Sec. Cell Death and Survival
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fcell.2024.1480950

The role of autophagy in Graves' disease: Knowns and unknowns

Provisionally accepted
  • 1 Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq
  • 2 University of Technology, Iraq, Baghdad, Iraq
  • 3 Qassim University, Buraidah, Al-Qassim, Saudi Arabia
  • 4 University of Bisha, BISHA, Saudi Arabia
  • 5 University of Misan, Amarah, Maysan, Iraq
  • 6 Jabir Ibn Hayyan medical university, Najaf, Najaf, Iraq
  • 7 Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbour, Michigan, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Graves' disease (GD), an autoimmune disease affects the thyroid gland, results in hyperthyroidisms and goiter. The main cause of GD is not clearly defined; however, stimulating autoantibodies for thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) receptors known as thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulins (TSIs) are the primary proposed mechanism. TSI activation of TSH receptors of thyroid gland results in excessive release of thyroid hormones with the subsequent development of hyperthyroidism and goiter.The cellular process of macroautophagy/autophagy is implicated in the pathogenesis of GD and other thyroid diseases. Autophagy plays a critical role in many thyroid diseases and in different stages of the same disease through modulation of immunity and the inflammatory response. In addition, autophagy is also implicated in the pathogenesis of thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO). However, the exact role of autophagy in GD is not well explained. Therefore, this review discusses how autophagy is intricately involved in the pathogenesis of GD regarding its protective and harmful effects.

    Keywords: Autophagy, Graves' disease, Thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy, Pathogenesis, Autoantibodies

    Received: 14 Aug 2024; Accepted: 12 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Al-Kuraishy, Sulaiman, Mohammed, Abu Alghayth, Albukhaty, Jabir, Albuhadily, Al-Gareeb and Klionsky. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Ghassan M. Sulaiman, University of Technology, Iraq, Baghdad, Iraq

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