Effects of vitamin D treatment on the heart tissue and adropin levels in thyrotoxicosis rats

Abstract

Background/Aim: Thyrotoxicosis is a hypermetabolic disease, common in people with iodine deficiency. Cardiac pathologies can be seen in untreated cases. Vitamin D is a supportive therapy for thyrotoxicosis and its deficiency also plays an important role in pathologies including cardiac diseases. Adropin is a peptide hormone regulating the energy homeostasis, and its levels in blood change in cardiac pathologies. Our purpose is to reveal the effects of vitamin D treatment on the heart tissue of rats with thyrotoxicosis and on the adropin levels. Methods: Our study was designed as 25 days. 28 Sprague-Dawley female rats were divided into 4 groups; Control (3ml of distilled water), Thyrotoxicosis (100μg/day L-thyroxine) Treatment (100μg/day L-thyroxine+200IU /day Vit. D), Vit D (200IU/day Vit. D). Firstly, heart tissues were stained with Masson trichrome method. The preparations were examined under the microscope and evaluated semi-quantitatively. After that, serum adropin levels were measured with ELISA method. Malondialdehyde level of heart tissue was evaluated by spectrophotometry. Heart tissue was evaluated in aspects of fibrosis, congestion, edema and impairment of tissue integrity. Results: All of the evaluation parameters of the heart tissue were found highly significantly increased in thyrotoxicosis group, in contrast to the control and vitamin D group. Despite a decrease in the treatment group, there was no significant difference in the thyrotoxicosis group (P<0.001). Serum adropin levels of all groups were found to be decreased in contrast to the thyrotoxicosis group. Similarly, tissue MDA levels were significantly higher in the thyrotoxicosis group compared to the other groups. Conclusion: Consequently, heart tissue damage and differences in adropin levels were found in rats with thyrotoxicosis. It was observed that supportive vitamin D treatment helps to regulate these effects.