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Updated: Jun 22, 2026

Generation of a Mouse Spontaneous Autoimmune Thyroiditis Model
Published on: March 17, 2023
Serum hepatocyte growth factor is increased in Hashimoto's thyroiditis whether or not it is associated with nodular
R M Ruggeri1, S Sciacchitano, A Vitale
1Unit of Endocrinology, Clinical-Experimental Department of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of Messina, Messina, Italy. rmruggeri@unime.it
Background:
Some growth factors and cytokines are known to cooperate with TSH in thyroid nodular growth, but few data are available on their circulating levels in Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT).
Aim:
To evaluate in HT patients whether thyroid nodules are associated with variations in serum levels of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and interleukin-6 (IL-6).
Subjects And Methods:
Serum levels of HGF and IL-6 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 176 euthyroid subjects, subdivided into 4 groups: A) HT patients with nodular goiter (no.=42); B) non-goitrous HT patients (no.=36); C) non-HT patients with nodular goiter (no.=48), and D) healthy subjects without thyroid disease (no.=50).
Results:
The highest concentrations of serumHGF were found in patients with nodular goiter, irrespective of the presence of associated HT (groups A and C). Nevertheless, in group A serum HGF levels were significantly higher than in group C (860.8+/-333.6 pg/ml vs 691.5+/-156 pg/ml, p<0.01). Moreover, though serum HGF levels in group B (578.3+/-217 pg/ml) were lower than in group A, they were significantly higher than in healthy controls (group D, 512.7+/-170.4 pg/ml, p<0.001). Serum IL-6 levels were similar in the two HT groups (A and B), and increased with respect to groups C and D.
Conclusions:
Serum HGF is increased in HT, especially associated to thyroid nodules, as compared with healthy non-goitrous individuals.
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