From balance to imbalance: disruption of plasma glutathione concentration in micropapillary thyroid carcinoma

Abstract

Background

Despite the presence of evidence that establishes a strong correlation between oxidative stress and thyroid cancer, there exists a scarcity of research that investigates the specific role of glutathione as an important antioxidant in this particular context. The objective of this study was to assess the altered balance of oxidative stress in cases of thyroid cancer, which includes both papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and micro PTC (mPTC), by examining and comparing the total antioxidant capacity (TAC), total oxidant status (TOS), oxidative stress index (OSI), reduced glutathione (GSH), oxidized glutathione (GSSG), and GSSG/GSH ratio with those of individuals diagnosed with multinodular goiter (MNG) as well as Healthy subjects.

Materials and methods

Plasma samples were collected from 92 patients (23 mPTC, 23 PTC, 23 MNG, 23 Healthy). The levels of TAC, TOS, GSH, and GSSG were measured using a commercial assay kits, and the OSI and GSSG/GSH ratio were calculated for each sample. Statistical analyses were performed to compare the oxidative stress between the groups.

Results

The plasma levels of TOS were significantly higher in the mPTC, PTC, and MNG groups compared to the Healthy individuals ( p < 0.05). The OSI in the mPTC and PTC groups showed a significant increase compared to the Healthy group ( p < 0.05). The levels of GSH in mPTC and PTC were markedly lower compared to the Healthy subjects ( p < 0.01). Interestingly, the concentration of GSH in mPTC was found to be considerably lower than in PTC and MNG patients ( p < 0.01).

Conclusion

These findings indicate that GSH may be a useful biomarker for evaluating oxidative stress and antioxidant system status in patients with PTC, especially mPTC. Low levels of GSH may indicate increased levels of oxidative stress, which may contribute to the development and progression of mPTC to PTC.