Examination of antithyroid effects of smoking products in cultured thyroid follicles: only thiocyanate is a potent antithyroid agent

Abstract

We studied the antithyroid action of cigarette smoking products (nicotine, cotinine, and thiocyanate) in the physiological culture system of porcine thyroid follicles. Iodide uptake, iodine organification, de novo thyroid hormone formation, and iodide efflux were measured in the presence of 0–200 μmol/l nicotine, cotinine, or potassium thiocyanate. Nicotine and cotinine did not inhibit iodide transport or thyroid hormone formation. Thiocyanate concentrations equivalent to serum levels of smokers showed three independent antithyroid actions: (i) inhibition of iodide transport, (ii) inhibition of iodine organification, and (iii) increased iodide efflux. Inhibition of iodide transport by thiocyanate was competitive with iodide and independent of TSH concentration. Thiocyanate did not inhibit TSH mediated cAMP production or Na+K+ATPase activity, a sodium pump for iodide transport. When 50 μmol/l thiocyanate was added 2 h after incubation with iodide or when 1 μmol/l thiocyanate was added from the beginning of incubation, iodine organification was inhibited without changing iodide transport. De novo thyroid hormone formation was clearly inhibited by 50 μmol/l thiocyanate. Thiocyanate increased iodide efflux although the degrees of iodide efflux by 10 μmol/l and 100 μmol/l thiocyanate did not differ significantly. In summary, thiocyanate, a product of smoking, has three independent antithyroid activities. The data of iodide transport kinetics suggest that thiocyanate can be an antithyroid agent particularly in iodine deficiency.