EFFECT OF HYDROCORTISONE ON THYROID STRUCTURE IN ALBINO MICE.

Abstract

IT has been shown that adult male albino mice on ad libitum diet as well as on restricted isocaloric diet treated with certain doses of hydrocortisone have more fat in their depots than the controls1,2. One of the possible causes for this may be a depression of thyroid and a consequent lowering of the metabolic rate. There have been a number of investigations on the effect of ACTH and glucocorticoids on thyroid function in various laboratory, dairy, and Wild animals, the results of which support this view3–6. Similar observations have also been made in man7,8. The foldings, however, of the effect of ACTH and cortisone on the structure of the thyroid seem to be quite contradictory. D'Angelo9 observed that cortisone administration was without effect on thyroid cell height in the albino rat. Likewise, Trabert and Betz10 did not notice any histological changes in the thyroid of guinea pigs after administration of cortisone. The observations of Stux11, on the other hand, indicated stimulation of the thyroid by cortisone treatment in rats. Similarly, Delost and Delost12 reported a stimulation of the thyroid by cortisone treatment in Microtus arvalis and Pitymys subterraneus. Baker13 reported that ACTH with daily doses of 1 and 3 mg, respectively, per rat was without effect on epithelial cell height of the thyroid, but with 6 mg there was a significant reduction in cell height.