Abstract
Hypothyroidism was induced in male Wistar rats with propylthiouracil (PTU) in the diet and the adenohypophyses were inimunostained for growth hormone and prolactin. In addition, autoradiography with [ 3H]thymidine demonstrated cells undergoing DNA synthesis. Feeding of PTU for 18 days reduced the immunostainable somatotrophs from 50% to virtually zero, whereas there was no change in the number of lactotrophs. In hypothyroidism, somatotrophs did not disappear from the gland but due to an almost complete degranulation, they were not recognizable by the immunoperoxidase technique. After withdrawal of PTU, these cells regranulated and became identifiable again as somatotrophs by immunostaining. In the hypothyroid pituitary labeled after 18 days of PTU, the labeling index was markedly decreased, compared to the normal gland and to the hypothyroid gland labeled before PTU was started. Thus it appears that hypothyroidism reduces but does not completely abolish DNA synthesis in somatotrophs, and has no effect on the replication of lactotrophs.
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