Immunolocalization techniques have been used to study 16 rat thyroids containing C cell tumours and ten rat thyroids in which no tumours or hyperplasias were found. All rats in these groups were at least 2 years old. An indirect ('sandwich') technique was used which involved rabbit or goat anti-human calcitonin antiserum and either fluorescein or peroxidase-labelled anti-rabbit or anti-goat IgG.
Plasma calcitonin levels were measured in these animals and in a further group of ten young normal rats by means of an immunoradiometric assay using goat antiserum against synthetic human calcitonin.
Both normal C cells and C cell tumours showed either apple-green fluorescence or positive peroxidase staining. The intensity of staining in the tumours varied from one cell to another but was in general less than that found for normal C cells. Calcitonin in the blood was detectable in most animals. The mean concentration found in young normal animals was 265 pg/ml (range < 100–600 pg/ml), in old normal animals 160 pg/ml (range < 100– 400 pg/ml) and in rats with small C cell tumours 470 pg/ml (range 100–1200 pg/ml). The mean concentration in this latter group differed significantly from those of both normal groups (P < 0·05). One animal with an invasive C cell tumour had a greatly increased calcitonin concentration (> 5 ng/ml) in the circulation.
The results showed that calcitonin was present in normal rat C cells and that C cell tumours both contained and secreted calcitonin, underlining the similarity between these tumours and human medullary carcinomata.
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Online ISSN: 1479-6805
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