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Updated: Dec 31, 2025
An Ex vivo Culture System to Study Thyroid Development
Published on: June 6, 2014
The Effect of Exenatide on Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone and Thyroid Volume
Muhammed Erkam Sencar1, Davut Sakiz1, Murat Calapkulu1
1Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Health Sciences, Diskapi Yildirim Beyazit Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
Objective:
Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogues are now widely used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). Many binding sites for GLP-1 have been demonstrated in the specific tissue compartments of organs in-cluding the brain and thyroid. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of exenatide treatment on thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and thyroid volume in diabetic patients without thyroid disease.
Material And Methods:
The study included 46 diabetic patients without thyroid disease who were receiving exenatide treatment. Comparisons were made of total thyroid volume and serum concentrations of TSH at baseline and after 6 months of follow-up.
Results:
Of the 46 patients, 13 were excluded from the study, as they were unable to complete the treatment or left the follow-up process. After 6 months of exenatide treatment, the serum TSH concentration decreased significantly (from 2.3 [0.7-5.4] to 1.8 mIU/L [0.3-4.2], p= 0.007). There were no significant differences in thyroid volume (11.6 ± 9.0 vs. 12.1 ± 8.8 cm3, p = 0.19), free thyroxine (fT4), free tri-iodothyronine (fT3), and calcitonin levels before and after treatment. Thyroid volume was not affected by decreased TSH level (p:= 0.141) or a reduction in body mass index (BMI) (p > 0.05), and no correlation was detected between variation in TSH level and change in BMI (p > 0.05).
Conclusions:
Exenatide treatment for 6 months significantly decreased serum TSH concentration but did not affect thyroid volume in diabetic patients without thyroid disease.
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