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Evidence against benefit from replacement doses of thyroid hormones in nonthyroidal illness (NTI): studies using turpentine oil-injected rat

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Abstract

Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with saline or turpentine oil (5μ 1/g bw sc at 3-day intervals ×3) with or without replacement doses of T4 (0.8 g/100 g bw/day ip) or T3(0.3 μg/100 g bw/day ip). Injection of turpentine oil to the rat consistently caused a significant reduction in serum total T4, total T3, free T4 index and TSH. Despite marked changes in thyroidal economy in experimental rat, iodothyronine 5′-monodeiodinating activity (MA) in the liver, the kidney and the hearth and the hepatic or-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase activity were decreased inconsistently and when decreased, the various enzyme activities were not influenced appreciably by treatment with replacement doses of T4 or T3. Cerebral cortical T4 5-MA was normal or increased in the turpentine oil-injected rat. Dermal T4 5-MA was decreased in the turpentine oil-injected rat and replacement doses of thyroid hormones did not normalize it. Urinary excretion of urea nitrogen was normal in the turpentine oil-injected rat and did not change appreciably after treatment with thyroid hormones. Our data suggest that replacement doses of thyroid hormones are not beneficial to a host with altered thyroid economy during a systemic illness.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, UCLA Center for the Health Sciences, Los Angeles, California, 90024, USA

    Inder J. Chopra M.D, T. S. Huang, R. Boado, D. H. Solomon & G. N. Chua Teco

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  1. Inder J. Chopra M.D
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  2. T. S. Huang
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  3. R. Boado
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  4. D. H. Solomon
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  5. G. N. Chua Teco
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Supported by USPHS Grant AM16155 from the National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.

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Chopra, I.J., Huang, T.S., Boado, R. et al. Evidence against benefit from replacement doses of thyroid hormones in nonthyroidal illness (NTI): studies using turpentine oil-injected rat. J Endocrinol Invest 10, 559–564 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03346994

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03346994

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