Orbital Fibroblasts From Thyroid Eye Disease Patients Differ In Proliferative And Adipogenic Responses Depending On Disease Sub-type

Thyroid Eye Disease (TED), an autoimmune process most frequently associated with Graves Disease, is the most common orbital disease. Orbital imaging can be used to classify TED patients as Type I (predominantly fat compartment enlargement) or Type II (predominantly extraocular muscle enlargement). In vitro, orbital fibroblasts (OFs) can be driven to differentiate into adipocytes or proliferate. We investigated whether Type I OFs undergo adipogenesis to a greater degree than Type II OFs, whereas Type II OFs undergo proliferation more than Type I OFs. We also studied the ability of cyclooxygenase (COX)-inhibitors to inhibit OF adipogenesis and proliferation.