Abstract
Sodium ethylmercurithiosalicylate (Thimerosal, Merthiolate) has been found to interfere with the binding of thyroid hormones to serum proteins. Dialysis studies showed that this compound, added to serum in concentrations varying from 90 to 360 mg/100 ml, caused an increase of the dialyzable or free fraction of thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). The increase was higher for the free T4 (3.8- to 18-fold) than for the free T3 fraction (2.3- to 5-fold). Electrophoretic studies on the distribution of tracer amounts of labeled T4 among the serum binding proteins revealed that the inhibitory effect of sodium ethylmercurithiosalicylate was exerted mainly on thyroxine binding globulin (TBG). In presence of this compound (180 mg/100 ml of serum) the percentage of tracer T4 bound to TBG was reduced from 53% to 9%. These findings were also confirmed by examining the binding of tracer amounts of labeled T4 and T3 in a serum diluted in barbital buffer, which inhibits the hormonal binding to thyroxine binding prealbumin and albumin. In presence of sodium ethylmercurithiosalicylate a significant displacement of both T4 and T3 from the serum binding protein (TBG) was observed.
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