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The Langerhans islet cells of female rabbits are differentially affected by hypothyroidism depending on the islet size

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Abstract

Effects of hypothyroidism on the glucose and insulin levels are controversial, and its impact on the Langerhans islet morphology of adult subjects has been poorly addressed. In spite of hypothyroidism and diabetes mellitus are more frequent in females than in males, most studies using animal models have been done in males. The effect of hypothyroidism on the immunolabeling of thyroid hormone receptors (TRs) and thyrotropin receptor (TSHR) of islet cells is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of hypothyroidism on the glucose and insulin concentrations, morphometry of islets, and immunostaining of TRs α1–2 and β1 and TSHR of islet cells in female rabbits. Control and hypothyroid (0.02 % of methimazole for 30 days) animals were used to quantify blood levels of glucose and insulin, density of islets, cross-sectional area (CSA) of islets, number of cells per islet, cell proliferation, and the immunolabeling of TRs α1–2, TRβ1, and TSHR. Student’s t or Mann–Whitney-U tests, two-way ANOVAs, and Fischer’s tests were applied. Concentrations of glucose and insulin, as well as the insulin resistance were similar between groups. Hypothyroidism did not affect the density or the CSA of islets. The analysis of islets by size showed that hypothyroidism reduced the cell number in large and medium islets, but not in small ones. In small islets, cell proliferation was increased. The immunoreactivity of TRα1–2, TRβ1, and TSHR was increased by hypothyroidism in all islet sizes. Our results show that hypothyroidism affects differentially the islet cells depending on the size of islets.

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Acknowledgments

This study was done in the Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala (UATx), México. It was granted for the Programa de Mejoramiento del Profesorado (PROMEP-SEP; UATLX-PTC-085 to EC), and partially supported by the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACyT; 106226 to EC and 225126 Apoyo de Infraestructura al Cuerpo Académico Fisiología del Comportamiento, UATx). Authors also thank to CONACyT for giving a research fellowship to R–C J (487362).

Conflict of interest

Authors disclose any financial or personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately bias or influence in the work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Maestría en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, Mexico

    J. Rodríguez-Castelán

  2. Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Carretera Tlaxcala-Puebla Km 1.5, C.P. 90062, Tlaxcala, Mexico

    L. Nicolás & E. Cuevas

  3. Departamento de Biología de la Reproducción, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición “Salvador Zubirán”, Mexico, DF, Mexico

    S. Morimoto

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  1. J. Rodríguez-Castelán
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Correspondence to E. Cuevas.

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Rodríguez-Castelán, J., Nicolás, L., Morimoto, S. et al. The Langerhans islet cells of female rabbits are differentially affected by hypothyroidism depending on the islet size. Endocrine 48, 811–817 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12020-014-0418-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12020-014-0418-4

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