Evaluation of progranulin expression in parathyroid adenomas and its relationship with clinical parameters

Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) clinic occurs when the parathyroid glands secrete excess parathormone (PTH) due to hyperplasia, adenomatous or carcinomatous change. Clinical manifestations and symptoms involving musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular system may occur in these patients. In the pathogenesis, dysregulation has been observed in extracellular signal-regulated 1/2 (ERK 1/2) pathways from the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathways, and phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K) pathways. Progranulin (PGRN) is a glycoprotein found in many tissues in the body, which has been associated with proliferation, angiogenesis and invasion. Activation of MAPK, JNK and PI3K pathways has been observed in studies. In light of these shared pathways, PGRN expression in parathyroid adenomas and its clinical effects were investigated. 182 cases were included in our study, including 102 patients who were operated on with the diagnosis of PHPT and 80 cases in the control group. The biochemical, clinical and radiological data of the patient group were evaluated. The staining patterns were examined by applying anti-GRN antibody at 1/300 dilution to the parathyroid samples of the cases and statistical analysis was performed. Cases without staining were considered negative, tissues with staining between 1% and 25% were considered weak positive(+), and tissues with staining above 25% were considered strong positive(++). There was a significant decrease in PGRN staining in the patient group compared to the control group (p<0.001). Grading by PGRN staining, there was no significant relationship between PGRN staining and calcium, phosphorus, PTH, 24-hour urine calcium, age, creatinine, vitamin D, complications and symptoms.