Dissociation of thyrotropin-dependent enzyme activities, reduced iodide transport, and preserved iodide organification in nonfunctioning thyroid adenoma and multinodular goiter.

Several biochemical and functional modifications demonstrated in goitrous tissues could reflect the effect of goitrogenic factors. Growth-enhancing agents, including TSH itself, have been involved in goitrogenesis. To study comparatively the variation patterns of some TSH-dependent enzymes within single goitrous tissues, we measured the activities of peroxidase (TPO), NADPH-cytochrome-c (cyt-c) reductase, and monoamine oxidase (MAO) in tissues from cold follicular adenoma and multinodular goiter. Iodide transport and organification were also evaluated. Perinodular and necropsy tissues were used as controls. The mean TPO activity measured by guaiacol as well as triiodide assays was significantly increased in multinodular goiter, whereas a nonsignificant increment was observed in cold adenoma. NADPH-cyt-c reductase and MAO were markedly increased in the two types of pathological tissues. The individual activities of the three enzymes showed dissimilar modifications within single samples and among different tissues. There was no correlation in the activities of the enzymes within single specimens from cold adenoma and multinodular goiter, except for MAO and NADPH-cyt-c reductase in multinodular goiter, for which a significant correlation was obtained. In this tissue, MAO and TPO measured by guaiacol assay were weakly correlated. TPO activity evaluated by guaiacol oxidation was correlated with that measured by triiodide formation in cold adenoma, but not in multinodular goiter. The mean iodide organification values assayed by iodotyrosine formation in the absence of exogenous H2O2 in particulate fractions from cold adenoma and multinodular goiter were within the normal range. A reduced iodide transport, evaluated as the thyroid/medium ratio, was observed in slices from these tissues. The dissociation of the three enzyme activities in single specimens from cold adenoma and multinodular goiter along with the reduced iodide transport in these tissues support the hypothesis that factors other than TSH or with TSH-like effects could be involved in the abnormal thyroid growth.