Immunohistochemical demonstration of myoglobin (Mb) in pathological thyroid tissue. Correlation with thyroglobulin (Tg), thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) distribution.
Myoglobin (Mb) was investigated by the immunoperoxidase method (PAP) in 48 cases of thyroid diseases including euthyroid goiter, Graves' disease, folliculo-papillary carcinoma, follicular carcinoma, anaplastic carcinoma and medullary carcinoma. Mb was demonstrated in most of the pathological thyroid tissues. In benign lesions, Mb is diffusely disposed throughout the cytoplasm in moderate quantities and only occasionally predominates at the apical border of thyreocytes. Generally, in differentiated carcinomas, the intensity of Mb immunostaining is moderate or weak. In some cases a predominance of Mb at the apical border of the malignant thyreocytes was noticed. In anaplastic and medullary carcinoma no Mb was detected. We compared the pattern of Mb distribution with that of thyroglobulin (Tg), triiodothyronine (T3), and thyroxine (T4) on serial or semiserial sections. The localization of Mb agreed relatively well with that of thyroid hormones. The distribution of Tg, especially in carcinomas did not correspond with that of Mb. Our results could suggest the implication of Mb as a source of oxygen in the thyroid peroxidase system rather than in exocytotic-endocytotic processes.
D002277:Carcinoma / Q000473:pathology; D006042:Goiter / Q000473:pathology; D006111:Graves Disease / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D009211:Myoglobin / Q000032:analysis*; D013959:Thyroid Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology
D009211:Myoglobin