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Thyroxine uptake by human hepatoma cells from serum of patients submitted to long-term thyroxine suppressive therapy

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Abstract

The significance of thyroxine (T4) uptake from serum in the assessment of thyroid status was evaluated, using human hepatoma (Hep G2) cells, in 30 euthyroid subjects, 6 hypothyroid and 19 hyperthyroid patients, and in 23 athyreotic cancer patients under T4 suppressive therapy. Cellular thyroxine (CT4) was determined according to Sarne and Refetoff, J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 61: 1046, 1985. CT4 averaged 9.9 ± 2.8 pg/well (mean ± SD, range 5.7–15.3) in euthyroid subjects, 1.5 ± 1.0 pg/well (range 0.05–4.2) in hypothyroid patients, 40.5 ± 18.8 pg/well (range 18.3 ± 104.7) in hyperthyroid patients, and 23.7 ± 7.2 pg/well (range 14.2–40.2) in T4-treated patients. In eu-, hypo- and hyperthyroid patients, a significant correlation was observed between CT4 and free T4 index (FT4I), free T4 (FT4) or Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG) values. In T4-treated patients, CT4 values were correlated with FT4I values, but not with FT4 or SHBG levels. All T4-treated patients with elevated SHBG levels had elevated FT4, FT4I and CT4 values. In contrast, of the 16 T4-treated subjects with normal serum SHBG concentrations, all but one had normal FT3, 3 (19%) had elevated FT4, 10 (62%) elevated FT4I and 13 (81%) elevated CT4, but all (100%) had undetectable TSH levels. Thus, considering serum SHBG concentrations as a parameter of hepatic tissue response to thyroid hormone, CT4 values, at least in T4-treated patients, do not accurately reflect the liver responsiveness to thyroid hormone action.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cattedra di Endocrinologia e Medicina Costituzionale, Università di Pisa, Viale del Tirreno 64, 56018, Tirrenia (Pisa), Italy

    L. Bartalena, M. Falcone, A. Pacchiarotti & A. Pinchera

  2. Cattedra di Endocrinologia, Università di Cagliari, 09100, Cagliari, Italy

    E. Martino

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  1. L. Bartalena
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  2. E. Martino
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  3. M. Falcone
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  4. A. Pacchiarotti
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  5. A. Pinchera
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Bartalena, L., Martino, E., Falcone, M. et al. Thyroxine uptake by human hepatoma cells from serum of patients submitted to long-term thyroxine suppressive therapy. J Endocrinol Invest 11, 629–635 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03350199

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