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Thyroid Peroxidase

Meaning

Thyroid Peroxidase (TPO) is a key enzyme, a hemoprotein, found specifically in the follicular cells of the thyroid gland, which is absolutely essential for the biosynthesis of the thyroid hormones T3 and T4. TPO catalyzes the critical steps of iodide oxidation, iodination of the thyroglobulin protein, and the final coupling of iodinated tyrosine residues to form the active hormones. Clinically, the presence of TPO antibodies in the blood is a primary and highly specific biomarker for autoimmune thyroid conditions, such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.