Undetectable levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, nitric oxide and inadequate expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase in congenital hypothyroidism.
OBJECTIVE
To analyse the production of TNF-alpha and NO in euthyroid and hypothyroid newborns.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 10 newborns diagnosed with primary congenital hypothyroidism (CH; group A) and 10 euthyroid children (group B).


RESULTS
There were undetectable plasma levels of TNF-alpha and NO in the hypothyroid children, however plasma levels of TNF-alpha (5.5 0.5 pg/ml) and NO (5.6 1.7 microM) were detected at normal levels in all euthyroid children. Moreover, expression of iNOS mRNA in PBMC, determined by RT-PCR, was negative in both groups of infants.


CONCLUSIONS
TNF-alpha and NO production are both impaired in hypothyroid newborns. We report for the first time evidence of undetectable levels of TNF-alpha and NO in infants with CH.
Rodríguez-Arnao
M D
MD
Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Servicio de Inmunología, C/Dr Esquerdo 46, 28007 Madrid, Spain.
Rodríguez-Sánchez
A
A
Rodríguez-Arnao
J
J
Dulín- Iñiguez
E
E
Cano
J M Bellón
JM
Muñoz-Fernández
M A
MA
D000328:Adult; D001483:Base Sequence; D003409:Congenital Hypothyroidism; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D017931:DNA Primers; D006801:Humans; D007037:Hypothyroidism / Q000201:enzymology / Q000276:immunology*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000097:blood*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics
D017931:DNA Primers; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D009569:Nitric Oxide; C496319:NOS2 protein, human; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II