Nitric oxide, thyroglobulin, and calcitonin: unraveling the nature of thyroid nodules

Vladimir S Samardzic; Mirjana T Macvanin; Sonja S Zafirovic; Milan M Obradovic; Zoran M Gluvic; Jasmina Grubin; Xin Gao; Magbubah Essack; Esma R Isenovic

doi:10.3389/fendo.2023.1241223

Nitric oxide, thyroglobulin, and calcitonin: unraveling the nature of thyroid nodules

Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2023 Sep 28:14:1241223. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1241223. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Clinic for Internal Medicine, Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Zemun Clinical Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.
² Department of Radiobiology and Molecular Genetics, VINČA Institute of Nuclear Sciences - National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.
³ Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia.
⁴ Computational Bioscience Research Center (CBRC), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.
⁵ Computer Science Program, Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Background: Thyroid nodules (TN) are localized morphological changes in the thyroid gland and can be benign or malignant.

Objective: The present study investigates the relationships between biochemical markers in serum (s) and their homologs in washout (w) after fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) of the TN of interest and their correlation with cytology specimen findings.

Methods: We investigated the relationships between serum biochemical markers nitric oxide (NO), thyroglobulin (TG), and calcitonin (CT), their homologs in washout after FNAB of the TN of interest, and cytology findings of biopsy samples classified according to the Bethesda system for thyroid cytopathology in this study, which included 86 subjects.

Results: Washout TG (TGw) level positively correlates with the cytology finding of the biopsy. A higher level of TGw correlates with higher categories of the Bethesda classification and indicates a higher malignant potential. The levels of serum NO (NOs), serum TG (TGs), serum CT (CTs), and washout CT (CTw) do not correlate with the cytology finding of the biopsy, and the higher levels of washout NO (NOw) correspond to the more suspicious ultrasound findings.

Conclusion: The findings of our study suggest that TGw and NOw could be used as potential predictors of malignancy in TN.

Keywords: calcitonin; fine needle aspiration biopsy; nitric oxide; thyroglobulin; thyroid nodules.

MeSH terms

Biomarkers
Calcitonin
Humans
Lymph Nodes / pathology
Nitric Oxide
Thyroglobulin
Thyroid Neoplasms* / diagnosis
Thyroid Neoplasms* / pathology
Thyroid Nodule* / diagnosis
Thyroid Nodule* / pathology

Substances

Thyroglobulin
Calcitonin
Nitric Oxide
Biomarkers

Grants and funding

The research was funded by the Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia (Contract No#451-03-47/2023-01/200017) and KAUST (Contract No#OSR 4129).