3,4-Dihydroxypyridine: a potential antithyroid drug

3,4-Dihydroxypyridine (3,4-DHP), a goitrogenic derivative of the plant amino acid mimosine, has no SH-group, in contrast to conventional antithyroid agents such as methimazole (MMI) and propylthiouracil (PTU). The current in vitro study shows that 3,4-DHP, like MMI and PTU, inhibits iodination of human thyroglobulin and interferes with mitogenic activation of human lymphocytes. This, together with a very low murine bone marrow toxicity, probably related to the absence of an SH-group, makes 3,4-DHP a potential antithyroid drug.