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Effects of short- and long-duration hypothyroidism on function of the rat hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis

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Abstract

The effects of hypothyroidism on the functional integrity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis were investigated in adult male rats. HPA axis function was examined in vivo in sham-thyroidectomized male Sprague-Dawley rats or in thyroidectomized rats for 7 (short-term hypothyroidism) or 60 (long-term hypothyroidism) days. Peripheral ACTH and corticosterone responses to insulin-induced hypoglycemia and interleukin (IL)-1α stimulation were used to indirectly assess the hypothalamic CRH neuron. Hypothyroidism resulted in exaggerated ACTH responses to both hypoglycemic stress and IL-1α administration. The adrenal cortex of hypothyroid animals showed a significant reduction in adrenal reserves, as assessed by its response to low-dose ACTH, following suppression of the HPA axis with dexamethasone. Hypothyroid rats were also associated with significant decreases in cerebrospinal fluid corticosterone concentrations and decreased adrenal weights. The findings suggest that experimentally induced hypothyroidism is associated with a mild, yet significant, adrenal insufficiency, which involves abnormalities in all components of the HPA axis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy, University of Athens, School of Medicine, 75 Mikras Asias Str. Goudi, Athens, 11527, Greece

    E. O. Johnson MD

  2. Developmental Endocrinology Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Catania, Italy

    E. O. Johnson MD, T. C. Kamilaris, A. E. Calogero & G. P. Chrousos

  3. Section of Endocrinology, Andrology and Internal Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine and Systemic Diseases, University of Catania, Catania, Italy

    A. E. Calogero

  4. Department Pharmacology, University of Ioannina, School of Medicine, Ioannina, Greece

    M. Konstandi

  5. 1st Department of Pediatrics, University of Athens, School of Medicine, Athens, Greece

    G. P. Chrousos

Authors
  1. E. O. Johnson MD
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  2. T. C. Kamilaris
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  3. A. E. Calogero
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  4. M. Konstandi
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  5. G. P. Chrousos
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Correspondence to E. O. Johnson MD.

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Johnson, E.O., Kamilaris, T.C., Calogero, A.E. et al. Effects of short- and long-duration hypothyroidism on function of the rat hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. J Endocrinol Invest 36, 104–110 (2013). https://doi.org/10.3275/8454

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.3275/8454

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