AIM:To analyze the difference in the level of fat-specific phospholipase A2(AdPLA)mRNA in the orbital adipose tissue between patients with thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy(TAO)and normal subjects.

METHODS:Thirty-seven patients(37 eyes)with TAO(stationary stage Ⅲ)who underwent orbital decompression surgery in our hospital from December 2016 to December 2017 were selected as the observation group; in the same period, 35 cases(35 eyes)of normal orbital adipose tissue were selected as the control group, which the source of the normal eyelid tissue was cosmetic surgery, pouch resection and ptosis correction. The eyeball protrusion was used to measure the degree of protrusion of the eye on the fat side of the observation group and the control group, and the BMI status of the two groups was calculated. A 16-slice spiral CT from Siemens motion was used to perform CT examination of the eyelids of both groups of subjects. Image J was used to detect the fat volume of the fat side and real time PCR was used to detect the expression of AdPLA mRNA in the adipose tissue of the eyelids.

RESULTS: There was no significant difference in mean age, BMI, and gender between the observation group and the control group(P>0.05); the intraocular fatty acid content, ocular outgrowth and intracellular AdPLA mRNA expression in the observation group were 32.21±1.85mL, 19.97±1.56mm, and 0.04±0.01, higher than those in the control group 24.05±1.64mL, 14.07±1.48mm, 0.01±0.003, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).

CONCLUSION: The intraocular fatty acid content, ocular outgrowth and intracellular expression of AdPLA mRNA in TAO patients are all higher than those in normal subjects. The increase of AdPLA expression in the adipose tissue of eyes of TAO patients resulted in a decrease in the amount of fat hydrolysis and an increase in fat accumulation and increased emphasis.