Urokinase-and tissue-likes plasminogen activators and their inhibitor in thyroid diseases

The levels of urokinase-and tissue-likes plasminogen activators (uPA and tPA) and their inhibitor PAI-1 in cytozol fraction of thyroid gland of 129 patients with malignant and benign tumors as well as with various non-oncological thyroid diseases were studied with the help of immunoenzymatic analysis (ELISA). The lowest tPA levels and the highest uPA and PAI-1 levels were revealed in tumors of thyroid cancer patients, while high levels of tPA and relatively low levels of uPA and PAI-1 were observed in thyroid tissue of patients with benign thyroid tumors including adenoma. The lowest uPA and PAI-1 levels were found in patients having Basedow's disease both with adenomatosis and without it. For the groups of patients with adenomatous goiter, the uPA and PAI-1 levels showed intermediate state between Basedow's disease and adenoma, on the one hand, and thyroid cancer, on the other hand. Levels of uPA and PAI-1 are suspected to correlate with the mechanisms of thyroid blastogenesis.