Open Access

ARTICLE

Undetectable levels of tumor necrosis factor-a, nitric oxide and inadequate expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase in congenital hypothyroidism

M. D. Rodríguez-Arnao, A. Rodríguez-Sánchez, J. Rodríguez-Arnao, E. Dulín-Íñiguez¹, J. M. Bellón Cano², M. A. Muñoz-Fernández²

1 Laboratorio de Metabolopatías. Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain.
2 Laboratorio de Inmuno-Biología Molecular, Unidad de Metabolismo y Desarrollo. Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain.

* Corresponding Author: M. Angeles Muñoz-Fernández,

European Cytokine Network 2003, 14(1), 63-68.

Abstract

Objetive: To analyse the production of TNF-α and NO in euthyroid and hypothyroid newborns.
Patients: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 10 newborns diagnosed with primary congenital hypothyroidism (CH; group A) and 10 euthyroid children (group B).
Results: There were undetectable plasma levels of TNF-α and NO in the hypothyroid children, however plasma levels of TNF-α (5.5 ± 0.5 pg/ml) and NO (5.6 ± 1.7 µM) were detected at normal levels in all euthyroid children. Moreover, expression of iNOS mRNA in PBMC, determined by RT-PCR, was negative in both groups of infants.
Conclusion: TNF-α and NO production are both impaired in hypothyroid newborns. We report for the first time evidence of undetectable levels of TNF-α and NO in infants with CH.

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Keywords

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