The Role of Fibroblast Growth Factor-2 and Caspase-3 in Nontoxic Multinodular Goiter versus Normal Thyroid Tissue Cases from Baghdad, Iraq

Khalida Ibrahim Noel; Nibras Hatim Khamees; Sameh Samir Akkila

doi:10.54133/ajms.v10i1.2778

Authors

Khalida Ibrahim Noel Department of Human Anatomy, College of Medicine, Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad, Iraq https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6135-7087
Nibras Hatim Khamees Department of Human Anatomy, College of Medicine, Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad, Iraq https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9406-0893
Sameh Samir Akkila Department of Human Anatomy, College of Medicine, Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad, Iraq https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0407-0685

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54133/ajms.v10i1.2778

Keywords:

Active caspase-3, Fibroblast Growth Factor-2, Immunohistochemistry, Nontoxic multinodular goiter, Thyroid gland

Abstract

Background: Nontoxic multinodular (MNG) disease is one of the most prevalent thyroid pathologies, especially in endemic areas like Baghdad, Iraq. Objective: To determine the prognostic values of FGF-2 and active CASP-3 expression in cases of MNG to predict the possibility of cancer development. Methods: Fifty patients were included in the study in a retrospective design and were obtained from Al-Yarmouk Teaching Hospital in Baghdad, Iraq. Paraffin blocks were obtained, and histological procedures for slide preparation for light microscopy were employed. Immunohistochemical procedures to detect the expression of FGF2 and active CASP-3 markers were applied. Statistical analysis to predict the extent, intensity, total score, and H-score of the immunohistochemical results was done. Results: Analysis of cases showed an overexpression of the FGF2 marker in cases of MNG, and that was statistically significant. On the other hand, CASP-3 was downregulated in MNG cases, with an intensity of 0 in most instances, while a few cases showed intensities of 1+ and 2+, which were statistically significant. The H-score, on the other hand, was highly raised in MNG expressing FGF2; in contrast to CASP-3, which appeared very low in MNG tissues, and both results were of statistical significance. Conclusions: Overexpression of FGF2 and low expression of active CASP-3 in cases of MNG confirm the benign behavior of the disease, but it does not exclude the possibility of cancer development. This expression can be regarded as prognostic for early detection of tumor transition in benign tissue.

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