[Albert]

1,2,3, check. Am I on air? Oh, well, that's me, Albert form The Half Decent Pharmaceutical Chemistry Blog, although you may know me just as Albert.

In the absence of Mitch, owner of this blog, I've launched an assault on this nuclear chemistry blog. However, because I know nothing about nuclear chemistry (I should go back to four years ago, when I was studying for my exam of general chemistry), I've to choose a different theme.



Actually, I considered writing something about the leading guidelines in drug design, but this would have somehow altered the spirit of this place.
Then I thought about the relationships between pharmaceutical and nuclear chemistry: not very much to write about, unless you just publish lots and lots of dyes and markers.

Finally, I realised there is a better understandable linkage between pharmacology and nuclear stuff: radioactive iodine!



Sodium ¹³¹Iodide is used to treat thyrotoxicosis. Radioactive iodine emits beta rays and its half life reaches approximately 5 days, during which it causes necrosis of the thyroid parenchyma.



Iodide is taken up by this gland through a sodium/iodide symporter. The ions are therefore oxidized to iodine by a peroxidase.

In this form, iodination of the tyrosines in thyroglobulin can easily take place, yielding mono and diiodotyrosine.

These two molecules react with each other to form the two thyroid hormones: T₄ (DIT+DIT) and T₃ (DIT+MIT).



The whole biosynthesis is regulated by fine feedback mechanisms so that the ratio of T₄ to T₃ is 5:1 and a certain amount of iodide could be kept within the gland.

No doubt radioactive iodine has many advantages: you simply take a tablet, the treatment is dramatically effective, incredibly cheap and painless.

Even though this therapy has been successfully used for more than 30 years, so far, there are still concerns about the possible genetic damages: leukemia and cancer may result as long term consequences.
That's why the cure is not generally prescribed to women in pregnancy.

Albert

[Ψ×Ψ]

Does that only apply to women who are actually pregnant, or "pre-pregnant"?   

[Albert]

I think only those who are actually pregnant AND after a certain amount of time: I guess, the development of those tissues which will form thyroid to be a sort of deadline.

Still, I'm not a doctor, so, I'm simply guessing here. 

[Mitch]

Thanks for filling in Albert, great post.