Cytogenetic Analysis Associated with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis in Samples of Iraqi Patients: an in vitro study

Background: One of the most prevalent autoimmune diseases is Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT), which is characterized by autoantibodies specific to the thyroid but whose precise cause is still unknown. Objectives: By comparing a sample of Iraqi patients with healthy controls using the comet assay, chromosomal abnormalities, micronucleus production, and mitotic index, the current study aims to clarify the cytogenetic impact of Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Methods: The study included ten Iraqi patients with HT (six males and four females), ages 20 to 75 years old, compared with ten healthy control groups (six males and four females). Results: The results showed that only cells in metaphase /1000 were being assessed, and the patient group (9.82 ± 0.0153) was more affected than the healthy control group (5.94 ± 0.170). The micronucleus formation result compared to the proportion of healthy controls was (0.004±0.0018 Mn/cell), while the frequency of Mn formation in HT was higher (0.0068±0.00132 Mn/cell). Three parameters were employed in the comet assay to indicate DNA damage in HT patients and healthy controls: tail length (9.2±6.016 and 25.5±10.607 px), tail moment (2.047±2.687 and 11.32±15.058), and DNA damage in the tail (20.892±11.225 and 35.153±44.429%). Conclusion: The percentage of mitotic index, micronucleus formation, and DNA damage detected by the comet assay in HT patients was higher than in healthy control.