The thyroid hormone effects on growth and development may be mediated by growth factors.

Thyroid hormones modulate energy metabolism and importantly influence growth and development. These effects are independently mediated. Thyroid calorigenesis is influenced predominantly via nuclear receptor mediated synthesis of mitochondrial respiratory assemblies and cell membrane sodium potassium ATPase. Accumulating evidence suggests that many of the thyroid hormone effects on development are mediated via growth factors, including somatomedins (SM), erythropoietin (EP), nerve growth factor (NGF) and epidermal growth factor (EGF). Thyroid hormone binding to nuclear receptors is known to stimulate growth hormone (GH) synthesis, and thyroid hormones probably potentiate GH stimulation of SM production as well as the anabolic effects of SM. The production of EP, NGF and EGF also are thyroid hormone responsive, and it seems likely that these growth factors mediate the thyroid hormone effects on erythrocyte production, autonomic and perhaps central nervous system maturation, and epidermal development, respectively.