Abstract. Estimations were carried out of [3H]thymidine incorporation during culture of isolated porcine thyroid follicles in the presence of standard TSH or epidermal growth factor (EGF) both alone and together with anti-TSH or anti-EGF serum, and of immunoglobulins fractionated from the sera of patients from our endemic goitre area with iodine deficiency. A significant stimulation of thymidine incorporation was exerted by TSH when thyroglobulin was present in the culture medium, and also by EGF. TSH stimulation was abolished by anti-TSH serum, in contrast to the effect of EGF. Anti-EGF serum, on the other hand, blocked the effect of EGF, but not that of TSH. The sera of 20 out of 72 patients (27%) with euthyroid goitre (not operated on) and of ten out of 26 patients (38%) with recurrent euthyroid goitre contained immunoglobulins stimulating thyroid growth (TGI). There was no correlation of TGI with other thyroid antibodies. TGI have to be regarded as a pathogenetic factor of euthyroid goitre also in patients from an endemic region especially in recurrent cases.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.