Red snapper fish intake improves thyroid gland activity in the hypothyroidism rat

Congenital hypothyroidism is inadequate production of thyroid hormone in infants from birth. Treatment of hypothyroidism often involves an iodine-rich diet since iodine is a vital precursor for thyroid hormone synthesis. Red snapper fish is a saltwater fish that contain a high amount of iodine and other beneficial macro/micronutrients, yet no report was found on the effect of this fish consumption on hypothyroidism. The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of red snapper (Lutjanus sp.) fish on thyroid gland activity, manifested by low FT4 level and high TSH level, two diagnostic indicators of hypothyroidism. This study used a post-test and controlled group design. Pregnant female rats were given propylthiouracil orally for four weeks to induce hypothyroidism in their offspring. All hypothyroid offspring were divided into five treatment groups, i.e., negative control, positive control (thyroxin therapy), red snapper enriched diet at 25% and 50% dosage, also a combination of levothyroxine and red snapper. The thyroid gland activity was detected by measuring blood serum FT4 and TSH and histological examination of the thyroid gland using HE staining. The level of FT4 and TSH in each treatment group were analyzed with the one-way ANOVA test. The results showed that the group that received a 50% red snapper diet has a normal level of FT4 and TSH, whereas the FT4 level increased two-fold; the TSH level decreased significantly. The organization of the thyroid gland showed a remarkable change of the lumen diameter, indicating a higher amount of hormone production by the gland.

Parallel evolution of direct development in frogs – Skin and thyroid gland development in African Squeaker Frogs (Anura: Arthroleptidae: Arthroleptis)

Cases of parallel evolution offer the possibility to identify adaptive traits and to uncover developmental constraints on the evolutionary trajectories of these traits. The independent evolution of direct development, from the ancestral biphasic life history in frogs is such a case of parallel evolution. In frogs, aquatic larvae (tadpoles) differ profoundly from their adult forms and exhibit a stunning diversity regarding their habitats, morphology and feeding behaviors. The transition from the tadpole to the adult is a climactic, thyroid hormone (TH)-dependent process of profound and fast morphological rearrangement called metamorphosis. One of the organ systems that experiences the most comprehensive metamorphic rearrangements is the skin. Direct-developing frogs lack a free-swimming tadpole and hatch from terrestrial eggs as fully formed froglets. In the few species examined, development is characterized by the condensed and transient formation of some tadpole-specific features and the early formation of adult-specific features during a “cryptic” metamorphosis. In this study we show that skin in direct-developing African squeaker frogs (Arthroleptis) is also repatterned from a tadpole-like to an adult-like histology during a cryptic metamorphosis. This repatterning correlates with an increase of thyroid gland activity. A comparison with data from the Puerto Rican coqui (Eleutherodactylus coqui) reveals that direct development might have evolved in parallel in these frogs by a comparable heterochronic shift of thyroid gland activity. This suggests that the development of many adult-features is still constrained by the ancestral dependency on thyroid hormone signaling.

The Effect of Hypothyroidism on Bone Loss at Dental Implants

Hypothyroidism (HT) is an endocrine disorder characterized by abnormally reduced thyroid gland activity, and is most commonly of autoimmune etiology. HT is associated with alterations in bone metabolism, and HT patients typically experience decreased bone resorption. The objective of this study was to use dental implants as standardized reference markers to compare the extent of alveolar bone loss in implant patients with and without HT. We examined medical and dental history records, and radiographic data, from 635 patients receiving 1480 implants during 2000-2017. The rate of bone loss was calculated from differences in radiographic bone levels over time, corrected for radiographic distortion. Peri-implant bone loss from patients with HT was significantly lower than for those without HT (t 1252 = -3.42; 95% confidence interval= 0.47-1.73; P<0.001; M= 0.53 mm/yr and 1.63 mm/yr, respectively. A similar relationship persisted after excluding smokers and diabetics, and after additionally excluding those on systemic steroids, hormone replacement therapy, hormone medications, or autoimmune diseases other than HT. Our data suggest that patients with HT have a decreased rate of bone loss around dental implants and may not be at increased risk for dental implant failure. The decreased bone metabolic rate among patients with HT might contribute to those findings.

Thyroid Hormones Concentrations during the Mid-Dry Period: An Early Indicator of Fatty Liver in Holstein-Friesian Dairy Cows

Relationship between postpartal fatty liver and thyroid gland activity during the peripartal and mid dry periods was studied. Twenty one dry cows were chosen. Blood samples were obtained on days −30, −2, and +12 related to calving and analized for thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). AT3/T4ratio was calculated. Liver tissue samples were taken 12 d after calving and tested for the lipid content. Cows were divided into three groups: mild (<20% fat), moderate (20 to 30%), or severe fatty liver (>30%). Cows, that were affected with severe fatty liver, were hypothyroid prior to development of the condition due to lowerT4concentrations, and had significantly lower concentration ofT3and higherT3/T4ratios than cows with mild and moderate fatty liver. Thus, hypothyroid state during mid-dry period may be an early indicator of postpartal fatty liver and may provokeT3/T4ratio increase in this group of cows.

The Herbicide Metolachlor Induces Liver Cytochrome P450s 2B1/2 and 3A1/2, but Not Thyroxine-Uridine Dinucleotide Phosphate Glucuronosyltransferase and Associated Thyroid Gland Activity

Metolachlor (2-chloro- N-(2-ethyl-6-methylphenyl)- N-(2-methoxy-1-methylethyl) acetamide) is widely used internationally as a corn and cotton herbicide. The metolachlor effects noted in rats during testing for U.S. pesticide registration include increased liver weight and hepatocarcinogenicity associated with eosinophilic foci. These properties, plus nongenotoxicity, are also characteristic of the prototypical rat liver tumor promoter, phenobarbital. Phenobarbital induces hepatic cytochrome P450s CYP2B1/2 and CYP3A1/2 and thyroxine (T4)-UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (T4-UGT), which enhances thyroxine clearance and thus indirectly increases thyroid gland activity. Because other chloroacetanilide herbicides are known to similarly affect rat thyroid gland, this study tested the hypothesis that metolachlor would have these additional phenobarbital-like effects on liver, especially that of T4-UGT induction with consequential stimulation of thyroid gland. Effects of metolachlor, fed to male Sprague-Dawley rats for 14 days at the carcinogenic dose of 3000 ppm, were compared to those of equimolar phenobarbital. Liver microsomal CYP2B1/2 and CYP3A1/2 were probed by immunoblotting and T4-UGT was measured enzymat-ically. Serum T4, triiodothyronine (T3), and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and thyroid follicular epithelial cell morphology and proliferation were used to assess thyroid gland activity. Metolachlor induced CYP2B1/2 and CYP3A1/2 proteins, but unlike phenobarbital, did not affect T4-UGT activity. In agreement, serum T4, T3, or TSH were unaffected by metolachlor. Also, no significant effects of metolachlor on thyroid gland morphology or follicular epithelial cell height or proliferation were observed. These data demonstrate that metolachlor is an inducer of hepatic CYP2B1/2 activity. But unlike the prototypical CYP2B1/2 inducer phenobarbital, metolachlor does not cause an increase in T4-glucuronidation and thyroid gland activation.