Could there be Targeting of the Thyroid Stimulating Hormone towards the Thyroid Gland? Thyroid Stimulating Hormone Levels Differences in the Thyroid Artery, Femoral Artery and a Peripheral Vein

Introduction The hypothalamic hormones are secreted in very small amount and directly targeting to the pituitary gland. All stimulating hormones are secreted in the general circulation to reach their target glands. Could there be targeting of these stimulating hormones to their specific glands If so then there would be differences between TSH level in thyroid artery, femoral artery and peripheral veins. No previous data was available concerning this question. Objectives This study was designed to investigate the possibility of targeting the thyroid stimulating hormone towards the thyroid gland by evaluating the level of TSH in the thyroid artery and femoral artery, a peripheral vein and see if there is any difference. Methods A cross sectional hospital based study was conducted in 2016 in the National Ribat Hospital in adult Sudanese. Blood Samples were taken from three euothyroid patients during thyroidectomy, from the inferior thyroid artery, a peripheral vein and the femoral artery. Then the samples were analyzed by I chroma (blood chemistry analyzer) for TSH level. Results There is a clear difference, in TSH levels between the thyroid artery (1.46.78) uiu/ml and the femoral artery (.47.16) uiu/ml and the peripheral vein (1.85.9) uiu/ml. Conclusions This pilot study showed that there is a difference in TSH levels between thyroid artery and femoral artery which might indicate that TSH is targeted towards the thyroid gland. Further studies are recommended to study the level of TSH in thyroid artery, femoral artery and a peripheral vein in animals and then investigate the possible mechanisms.