THE EFFECT OF CERTAIN ANIONS UPON THE ACCUMULATION AND RETENTION OF IODIDE BY THE THYROID GLAND*

Abstract

THE goitrogenic action of thiocyanate has been known since 1936 when Barker reported the occurrence of goiter in patients receiving thiocyanate therapy for hypertension and the correction of such goiter by the administration of desiccated thyroid. Astwood later (1943) produced goiter in rats with thiocyanate, but found no goitrogenic effect when iodide was given simultaneously. The action of thiocyanate was poorly understood until Franklin, Chaikoff and Lerner (1944) demonstrated that it interfered with thyroidal accumulation of iodine, in contrast to thiouracil which blocked the organic incorporation of iodine but did not inhibit its collection by the thyroid. In this way the process of iodine accumulation was clearly distinguished from that of hormone synthesis. Vanderlaan and Vanderlaan (1947) and Taurog, Chaikoff and Feller (1947) showed that iodine accumulated by animals treated with propylthiouracil was held in the form of the iodide ion.