The effect of long-Term exposure to low doses of endocrine disruptor DDT on serum levels of thyroid protein autoantigenes and antithyroid autoantibodies

Abstract

Changes in secretion of thyroid autoantigenes and production of antithyroid autoantibodies after long-Term exposure to low doses of DDT were studied. Changes in serum levels of antithyroid peroxidase antibodies and thyroid peroxidase, attributed to disruption of thyroxine production by DDT were found. Long-Term exposure of rats to low doses of DDT revealed no specific impact on serum autoantibodies to all thyroid autoantigenes studied. The increase of the ratio of autoantibody/autoantigen for thyroid peroxidase and thyroglobulin was rather small and thus could not be considered as a significant symptom of thyroid autoimmunity.