title: Caspase-3 activity in papillary thyroid carcinomas.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this work was to assess caspase-3 activity in the tissue of papillary thyroid carcinomas of patients and analyze the peculiarities of changes in this activity depending upon a number of pathomorphological and clinical features of tumoral process.
  
  
  METHODS
  Caspase-3 activity was determined by spectrophotometry with regard to acetyl-asp-glu-val-asp-paranitroanilide.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At initial stages of tumor development, in the absence of metastases to lymph nodes, blood and lymphatic vessel invasion by tumor cells, extrathyroid spreading of tumor, sclerotic and fibrous changes in tumor stroma, and in the presence of tumor capsule, caspase-3 activity in papillary carcinoma tissue was higher compared to unchanged thyroid tissue of normofollicular structure. In case of a more aggressive behaviour of tumor, enzyme activity in carcinoma tissue did not differ significantly or (in case of extrathyroid spreading of tumor) was decreased compared to that in extratumoral tissue. In combination, this was expressed by a progressive decrease in caspase-3 activity in tumor tissue with increasing T category. Сaspase 3 activity was found to be much higher in the tissue of papillary carcinomas of follicular-papillary structure and lower in the tissue of tumors of mixed structure with solid areas, compared to that in the tissue of papillary carcinomas of typical papillary structure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The data obtainеd in assessing caspase-3 activity suggest that the intensity of spontaneous apoptosis of human papillary thyroid carcinoma cells depends upon the stage and aggressiveness of tumoral process.
authors.affiliation: State Institution V.P. Komisarenko Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolism of National Academy of Medical Science, Vyshgorodska str. 69, Kyiv 04114, Ukraine. mishunina@list.ru
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Mishunina
authors.forename: O V
authors.initials: OV
authors.lastname: Kalinichenko
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Tronko
authors.forename: O A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Statsenko
mesh_terms: D000231:Adenocarcinoma, Papillary / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology; D002277:Carcinoma; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D000077273:Thyroid Cancer, Papillary; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: C505407:CASP3 protein, human; D053148:Caspase 3