Recombinant human thyrotropins of the twenty-first century.

Article Details

Citation

Szkudlinski MW

Recombinant human thyrotropins of the twenty-first century.

Expert Opin Pharmacother. 2004 Dec;5(12):2435-40.

PubMed ID
15571461 [ View in PubMed
]
Abstract

In recent years, many new recombinant protein therapeutics have been developed and tested in clinical trials [1]. Current and future clinical uses of recombinant human thyroid-stimulating hormone (rhTSH; Thyrogen, Genzyme) in thyroid diseases are discussed in the review published in this issue of Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy [2]. As Thyrogen is a wild-type rhTSH produced in Chinese hamster ovary cells, it has relatively low affinity to the human TSH receptor. Such low affinity and weak intrinsic bioactivity of rhTSH, compared to the bovine or rodent TSH, may help to explain the results of several studies indicating limited clinical efficacy of Thyrogen. TSH analogues with largely increased receptor affinity, potency and efficacy, are expected to provide not only more effective than currently used diagnostic methods, but should also serve as indispensable second-generation thyrotropins for the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid carcinomas with a largely limited number of TSH receptors.

DrugBank Data that Cites this Article

Drug Targets
DrugTargetKindOrganismPharmacological ActionActions
Thyrotropin alfaThyrotropin receptorProteinHumans
Yes
Agonist
Details