Effects of total thyroidectomy on growth factor, apoptosis factor and immunomodulatory factor of thyroid carcinoma in rats

Objective To study effects of total thyroidectomy on growth factor, apoptosis factor and immunomodulatory factor in rats with thyroid carcinoma. Methods Sixty male SD rats were randomly divided into three groups: model group, operation group and negative control group. The animal model of thyroid carcinoma was established, and the three groups were treated with the same amount of normal saline for 8 weeks after total thyroidectomy. The expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), soluble Fas receptor (sFas) and soluble Fas receptor ligand (sFasL) in rat thyroid tissue was detected by Western blotting. The thyroid gland in rats was determined by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Interleukin (IL)-1 β, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results The results of Western blotting and RT-PCR showed that the expression levels of VEGF, sFas and sFasL proteins, VEGF, sFas and sFasL mRNA, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 in model group and operation group were significantly higher than in the negative control group (P=0.000). As compared with the model group, the expression levels of VEGF, sFas and sFasL proteins, VEGF, sFas and sFasL mRNA, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 were significantly decreased in the operation group (P=0.000). Conclusion Total thyroidectomy can remove thyroid cancer tissues and inhibit the growth and metastasis of thyroid carcinoma, which is related to the down-regulation of the expression of growth factor, apoptosis factor and immunomodulatory factor. Key words: Total thyroidectomy; Thyroid carcinoma; Growth factor; Immunoregulatory factor