Qualitative and quantitative differences in the pathways of extrathyroidal triiodothyronine generation between euthyroid and hypothyroid rats

Metabolism of reverse triiodothyronine by isolated rat hepatocytes

Reverse triiodothyronine (rT3) is metabolized predominantly by outer ring deiodination to 3,3'-diiodothyronine (3,3'-T2) in the liver. Metabolism of rT3 and 3,3'-T2 by isolated rat hepatocytes was analyzed by Sephadex LH-20 chromatography, high performance liquid chromatography, and radioimmunoassay, with closely agreeing results. Deiodinase activity was inhibited with propylthiouracil (PTU) and sulfotransferase activity by sulfate depletion or addition of salicylamide or dichloronitrophenol. Normally, little 3,3'-T2 production from rT3 was observed, and 125I- was the main product of both 3,[3'-125I]T2 and [3',5'-125I]rT3. PTU inhibited rT3 metabolism but did not affect 3,3'-T2 clearance as explained by accumulation of 3,3'-T2 sulfate. Inhibition of sulfation did not affect rT3 clearance but 3,3'-T2 metabolism was greatly diminished. The decrease in I- formation from rT3 was compensated by an increased recovery of 3,3'-T2 up to 70% of rT3 metabolized. In conclusion, significant production of 3,3'-T2 from rT3 by rat hepatocytes is only observed if further sulfation is inhibited.

Direct assessment of brown adipose tissue as a site of systemic tri-iodothyronine production in the rat

Tri-iodothyronine (T3)production by interscapular brown fat was studied by measurements of arterio-venous differences and blood flow across the tissue in rats exposed to the following situations: controls, acute cold, chronic cold and starvation. Results demonstrate that brown adipose tissue is a source of systemic T3 in the rat and that the T3 release is modulated according to the physiological situation of the animal: increased in cold exposure and inhibited in starvation.

Thyroid function and cold acclimation in the hamster, Mesocricetus auratus

Basal metabolic rate (BMR), thyroxine utilization rate (T4U), and triiodothyronine utilization rate (T3U) were measured in cold-acclimated (CA) and room temperature-acclimated (RA) male golden hamsters, Mesocricetus auratus. Hormone utilization rates were calculated via the plasma disappearance technique using 125I-labeled hormones and measuring serum hormone levels via radioimmunoassay. BMR showed a significant 28% increase with cold acclimation from 4.50 +/- 0.05 to 5.77 +/- 0.10 ml O2 X h-1 X g-2/3. The same cold exposure also produced a 32% increase in T4U (10.75 +/- 0.51 vs. 14.19 +/- 0.75 ng X day-1 X g-2/3), and a 204% increase in T3U (5.51 +/- 0.53 vs. 16.77 +/- 1.35). The much greater increase in T3U implies that previous assessments of the relationship between cold acclimation and thyroid function may have been underestimated and that cold exposure induces both quantitative and qualitative changes in thyroid function. It is concluded that in the cold-acclimated state, T3U more accurately reflects thyroid function than does T4U. A mechanism for the cold-induced change in BMR is proposed, for which alterations in four aspects of thyroid function are required: a decrease in plasma T4 binding, an elevation of the pituitary T4 "set point," a preferential shift in deiodinase activity from reverse T3 to T3 production, and an increase in the thyroidal secretion of T3.

Comparison of type I 5'-deiodination of thyroxine and of reverse-triiodothyronine in rat and chicken liver homogenates

The characteristics of 5'-deiodination in the chicken liver have been compared to those in the rat. Using 6-n-propyl-2-thiouracil (PTU) at 1 mM in vitro, it was shown that, in accordance with former in vivo studies, only type I 5'-deiodinase exists in the liver of the chicken. When PTU was used in a concentration (10 microM) close to its Ki species differences could be demonstrated as for PTU sensitivity. 5'-Deiodinase in the chicken liver was more susceptible against the inhibitor. The early thiol-independent phase of deiodination was longer in the chicken than in the rat. Reverse-triiodothyronine (r-T3) seemed to be a more suitable substrate for this enzyme in the chicken when compared to either T4 degradation or r-T3 degradation in the rat. It is concluded that major characteristics of 5'-deiodination in the chicken are similar to those in the rat; however, the slight variances observed might explain some species differences found earlier.

Crystal structure of phlorizin and the iodothyronine deiodinase inhibitory activity of phloretin analogues

Phloretin, a 7,8-dihydrochalcone of plant origin, and the high molecular weight (less than 15,000) polyphloretinphosphate (PPP) polymers are potent inhibitors of iodothyronine monodeiodinase activity from rat liver microsomal preparations, whereas phlorizin, the 2'-O-glucoside of phloretin, is inactive. The polymers, differing in degree of phosphorylation-dependent polymerization, exhibited a concentration-dependent, and ultimately complete, inhibition of deiodinase activity with an IC50 between 0.2 and 0.5 micrograms PPP/ml. Phloretin inhibition, on the other hand, was cofactor (DTE) competitive, with a Ki = 0.75 microM. 2',4',6',3,4- Pentahydroxychalcone, which has a substitution pattern in the A-ring identical to that of phloretin, was the only active inhibitor (IC50 = 8 microM) among several derivatives tested. The phloretin biodegradation products, phloretic acid and phloroglucinol, and its biosynthetic precursors, monomeric cinnamic acid and cinnamic acid derivatives, were inactive in concentrations up to 100 microM. The X-ray crystal structure analysis of phlorizin dihydrate showed that the molecule is planar and fully extended, similar to the conformation observed in chalcone structures that are characterized by an alpha, beta-unsaturated bond between phenol rings. Comparison of the planar phlorizin crystal structure with a skewed or antiskewed thyroid hormone conformation revealed that the beta-D-glucose moiety does not share any of the thyroid hormone's conformational space, and that the best structural homology is found with the antiskewed conformation of 3',5',3-triiodothyronine, the natural deiodinase substrate that also inhibits further deiodination.

Avian hepatic T-3 production by two pathways of 5'-monodeiodination: effects of fasting and patterns during development

Two forms of iodothyronine 5'-monodeiodinase (5'-D) were studied in liver homogenates from adult and developing quail. The influence of fasting in adults and corticosterone treatment in embryonic quail on 5'-D also were examined. Liver homogenates were assayed for 5'-D activity in the presence of abundant substrate (T4) and cofactor (dithiothreitol; DTT). Generation of T3 during a 15 min incubation at 37 degrees C was assessed by an ethanol-based RIA. In adults, both Type I [the fraction of activity inhibited by propylthiouracil (PTU)] and a putative Type II (the PTU-insensitive fraction) were present in liver homogenates. Type II activity typically comprised about 30% of Total activity. Type I activity first appeared on day 15 of the 16.5 day incubation period, increased 20-fold to peak at hatching, then gradually declined to reach adult levels by 21 days of age. Type II activity was present at all developmental stages and was highest during the perinatal period. Corticosterone treatment in vivo on day 13 of development induced increases in both Type I and Type II activities in liver homogenates 24- and 48-h after treatment. This study demonstrates that in avian liver a putative Type II 5'-D activity (generally considered to be lacking in mammalian liver) is present and may be important in the maintenance of minimal concentrations of tissue T3 during fasting. Both types of 5'-D contribute to the developmental pattern of serum T3 concentrations. Type II comprises a large proportion of total activity during late embryonic life; Type I becomes predominant at the beginning of the perinatal period.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Effect of thyrotropin on conversion of T4 to T3 in perfused rat liver

The present study was undertaken to elucidate the direct effect of thyrotropin (TSH) on the conversion of thyroxine (T4) to 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine (T3) in the isolated perfused rat liver. The liver was perfused without recirculation with a synthetic medium containing 10 micrograms/dl T4 and the effect of constant infusion of bovine TSH (125 or 250 microU/ml) on the conversion of T4 to T3 was examined. T4 uptake in the perfused liver was not changed by the addition of TSH. The release of T3 (10.3 +/- 1.4 ng/g/30min, mean +/- SD), tissue T3 production (99.5 +/- 21.4 ng/g/30min), net T3 production (102.6 +/- 20.2 ng/g/30min), and the conversion rate of T4 to T3 (14.8 +/- 3.5%) in the liver perfused with 250 microU/ml TSH were significantly higher than those in controls (8.1 +/- 1.2 ng/g/30min, 69.0 +/- 6.8 ng/g/30min, 69.9 +/- 6.1 ng/g/30min, and 10.0 +/- 0.8%), respectively. These results suggest that TSH may directly enhance hepatic conversion of T4 to T3 in rats in vitro.

Interrelationships among thyroxine, growth hormone, and the sympathetic nervous system in the regulation of 5'-iodothyronine deiodinase in rat brown adipose tissue

Thyroxine (T4) and reverse triiodothyronine are potent inhibitors of brown adipose T4 5'-deiodinase (BAT 5'D). This effect does not require protein synthesis and is due to an acceleration of the rate of disappearance of the enzyme. Growth hormone (GH) also inhibits BAT 5'D but by a mechanism mediated through a long-lived messenger that correlates with growth rate. This explains the failure of BAT 5'D to increase abruptly after thyroidectomy as does the type II 5'-deiodinase in pituitary and central nervous system or the BAT 5'D itself after hypophysectomy. Although virtually inactive when given acutely, triiodothyronine replacement partially reduces BAT 5'D in hypophysectomized and thyroidectomized (Tx) animals probably as a result of improvement of systemic hypothyroidism and an increase in GH levels in the Tx rats. The fine balance between these inhibitory factors and the stimulatory effects of the sympathetic nervous system suggests an important physiologic role for the enzyme in this tissue.

Iodothyronine deiodination in the brain of diabetic rats: influence of thyroid status

Experimental diabetes causes profound alterations in the metabolism of thyroxine (T4), including a decrease in hepatic triiodothyronine (T3) generation from T4 via 5'-deiodination (5'-D). Because 5'-D in brain differs markedly from that in liver, both in enzymatic mechanism and in the response to hypothyroidism, we studied iodothyronine deiodination, in particular T4 to T3 conversion (T4-T3), by incubating 125I T4 with particulate fractions of cerebral cortex (Cx) and cerebellum (Cm) from rats made diabetic by injection of streptozotocin. In nondiabetic thyroidectomized (Tx) rats Cx and Cm T4-T3 activity was increased approximately ten-fold and two-fold, respectively, compared with intact controls. Diabetic Tx rats did not differ from nondiabetic Tx rats in the rate of net T3 production from T4 but the formation of 3,3'-T2 was slightly reduced. Insulin-treated diabetic-Tx rats showed a pattern of T4 metabolism in Cx and Cm virtually identical to that of nondiabetic Tx rats. The rate of T3 degradation, determined in parallel incubations of Cx and Cm with 125I T3, did not differ significantly among the groups, indicating that the observed differences in net T3 production were due to changes in T4 5'-D activity. Intact diabetic rats compared to nondiabetic controls showed no significant changes in T4-T3 either in Cx or in Cm. Administration of T3, 0.8 microgram per 100 g bw per day for 6 days, by constant infusion to intact rats raised T4-T3 in Cx and Cm to levels found in Tx rats. Treatment of intact diabetics with T3 caused qualitatively similar changes, i.e., a hypothyroid response.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Avian hepatic T3 generation by 5'-monodeiodination: characterization of two enzymatic pathways and the effects of goitrogens

The enzymatic nature of 5'-monodeiodination (5'-D) in avian liver homogenates was demonstrated by abolishment of activity by iopanoic acid (IOP). T3 production from T4 was dependent on enzyme and substrate concentrations, incubation time, incubation temperature, and pH. Two pathways of 5'-D activity were present in avian liver and exhibited characteristics similar to those described in mammalian tissues. Type II activity was identified as propylthiouracil (PTU)-insensitive activity. Type I (PTU-sensitive) was determined by difference between Total and Type II. Km values were 1.58 microM T4 for Total activity and 0.90 nM T4 for Type II, corresponding to the characteristics of the mammalian pathways. The effects of goitrogens on avian hepatic 5'-D were equivalent to those reported for the mammalian enzyme.

Potential of brown adipose tissue type II thyroxine 5'-deiodinase as a local and systemic source of triiodothyronine in rats

Previous reports suggest that a type II iodothyronine 5'-deiodinase may become the main enzymatic pathway for extrathyroidal triiodothyronine (T3) generation when the enzyme levels are sufficiently elevated and/or liver and kidney type I 5'-deiodinase activity is depressed. The present studies assessed the potential of brown adipose tissue (BAT) type II 5'-deiodinase to generate T3 for the plasma pool. BAT 5'-deiodination (BAT 5'D) was stimulated by either short- (4 h) or long-term (7 wk) cold exposure (4 degrees C). Long-term cold exposure increased thyroxine (T4) secretion 40-60% and extrathyroidal T3 production three-fold. In cold-adapted rats treated with propylthiouracil (PTU), extrathyroidal T3 production was 10-fold higher than in PTU-treated rats maintained at room temperature. Cold did not stimulate liver or kidney 5'D, but the cold-adapted rats showed a six- to eightfold higher BAT 5'D content. PTU caused greater than 95% inhibition of liver and kidney 5'D, but did not affect BAT 5'D. Thyroidectomized rats maintained on 0.8 micrograms of T4/100 g of body weight (BW) per day were acutely exposed to 4 degrees C. In rats given 10 mg of PTU/100 g of BW, 4 h of cold exposure still caused a 12-fold increase in BAT 5'D, a 2.3-fold increase in plasma T3 production, and a 4.8-fold increment in the locally produced T3 in BAT itself. All these responses were abolished by pretreatment with the alpha 1-antiadrenergic drug prazosin. Regardless of the ambient temperature, liver 5'D activity was greater than 90% inhibited by PTU. These results indicate that BAT can be a major source of plasma T3 under suitable circumstances such as acute or chronic exposure to cold. Furthermore, BAT 5'D activity affects BAT T3 content itself, suggesting that thyroid hormone may have a previously unrecognized role in augmenting the thermogenic response of this tissue to sympathetic stimulation. Such interactions may be especially important during the early neonatal period in humans, a time of marked thermogenic stress.

Effect of TSH on conversion of T4 to T3 in perfused rat kidney

This study was undertaken to elucidate the effect of thyrotropin (TSH) on the conversion of thyroxine (T4) to 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine (T3) in the isolated perfused rat kidney. The kidney was perfused with a synthetic medium containing 20 micrograms/dL T4 and the effect of constant infusion of bovine TSH (125 or 250 microU/mL) on the conversion of T4 to T3 was investigated. T4 uptake in the perfused kidney was not changed by the addition of TSH. However, the release of T3 (89 +/- 11 ng/g/30 min, mean +/- SD), tissue T3 (190 +/- 23 ng/g/30 min), net T3 production (227 +/- 37 ng/g/30 min), and the conversion rate of T4 to T3 (9.5 +/- 1.6%) in the kidney perfused with 250 microU/mL TSH were significantly (P less than 0.005) greater than those in controls (63 +/- 9, 143 +/- 15, 152 +/- 36 ng/g/30 min, and 6.3 +/- 1.9%), respectively. Degradation rate of T3 in perfused rat kidney was not changed by the addition of 250 microU/mL TSH. These results suggest that TSH may directly affect renal iodothyronine-monodeiodinating activity in rats in vitro.

Effects of iodine and iodine-containing compounds on thyroid function

This article deals with iodine metabolism and the consequences of iodine deficiency and iodine excess. The mechanisms underlying the clinical presentation of these two conditions as well as the clinical implications, both diagnostic and therapeutic, are discussed. Special attention is paid to the influence of underlying thyroid disorders on the frequency and characteristics of clinical problems related to the excess of iodine. Finally, a section is devoted to iodinated organic molecules that affect thyroid function on the basis of their structure in addition to their high content of iodine.

Characteristics of thyroxine 5'-deiodination in cultured human placental cells. Regulation by iodothyronines

Human and rat placental homogenates convert L-thyroxine (T4) to 3,5,3'-L-triiodothyronine (T3) via a pathway termed type II iodothyronine deiodination. To study regulation of this pathway, cell dispersions were prepared from human placental chorionic-decidual membrane. Dispersed cells deiodinated T4 and 3,3',5'-triiodothyronine (rT3), but not T3, at the 5' position. The reaction was only slightly inhibited by 1 mM 6-n-propylthiouracil, enhanced by dithiothreitol, and substantially inhibited by 50 nM iopanoic acid. Incubation of the cells in thyroid hormone-depleted medium induced a near doubling of T4 5'-deiodination in 36-48 h, with a significant rise seen as early as 12 h. Addition of T4, rT3, or T3 to hormone-depleted medium impaired the rise in type II deiodination in a dose-dependent fashion. T4 and rT3 were equipotent in this regard, and T3 was 2-3 times less potent. T4 was effective in physiological concentrations, 6.5-13 nM in medium containing 10% calf serum, and the effect of T4 was not due to its conversion to either T3 or rT3. In cells with deiodinase activity raised by 48 h incubation in thyroid hormone-depleted medium, addition of T4, T3, or rT3 reversed the increase in 8-24 h. Secretion of prolactin and beta hCG by the dispersed cells was not substantially affected by thyroid hormone deprivation. The increase in type II deiodination during thyroid hormone deprivation appears to depend on a signal from the thyroxine molecule, per se, and could potentially defend intracellular, and/or circulating, T3 pools in pathological states of mild-to-moderate hypothyroxinemia.

Decreased serum triiodothyronine in starving rats is due primarily to diminished thyroidal secretion of thyroxine

Although thyroxine (T4) 5'-deiodinase activity is diminished in liver homogenates of starved rats, no information is available regarding the effect of starvation on net T4 to triiodothyronine (T3) conversion in the intact rat. It appeared important to clarify this relationship since rat liver homogenates are widely used as a model for the study of the factors responsible for reduced circulating T3 in chronically ill and calorically deprived patients. In contrast to the expected selective decrease in circulating T3 levels in calorically restricted humans due to diminished T4 to T3 conversion, 5 d of starvation of two groups of male Sprague-Dawley rats resulted, paradoxically, in a greater decrease in serum T4 than in serum T3 levels. Kinetic studies show that starvation is associated with no change in the metabolic clearance rate (MCR) of T3, a 20% increase in the MCR of T4, a 67% reduction in turnover rate of T4, but only a 58% reduction in the turnover rate of T3. Moreover, in the first group of rats studied, direct chromatographic analysis of the isotopic composition of total body homogenates after the injection of 125I-T4 showed that 21.8% of T4 is converted to T3 in control rats and 28.8% in starved rats, suggesting that virtually all extrathyroidal T3 in starved and control rats is derived from the peripheral conversion of T4, and that there is little or no direct thyroidal secretion of T3. Our findings strongly point to a reduced thyroidal secretion of T4 as the primary cause of the observed reduction in circulating T3. Since the mechanisms leading to reduced levels of plasma T3 differ in humans and rats, it may be important to reexamine the use of liver homogenate preparations as models for study of the pathogenesis of the "low T3 syndrome" in humans.

Production rates and turnover of triiodothyronine in rat-developing cerebral cortex and cerebellum. Responses to hypothyroidism

Local 5'-deiodination of serum thyroxine (T4) is the main source of triiodothyronine (T3) for the brain. Since we noted in previous studies that the cerebral cortex of neonatal rats tolerated marked reductions in serum T4 without biochemical hypothyroidism, we examined the in vivo T4 and T3 metabolism in that tissue and in the cerebellum of euthyroid and hypothyroid 2-wk-old rats. We also assessed the contribution of enhanced tissue T4 to T3 conversion and decreased T3 removal from the tissues to the T3 homeostasis in hypothyroid brain. Congenital and neonatal hypothyroidism was induced by adding methimazole to the drinking water. Serum, cerebral cortex (Cx), cerebellum (Cm), liver (L) and kidney (R) concentrations of 125I-T4, 125I-T3(T4), and 131I-T3 were measured at various times after injecting 125I-T4 and 131I-T3. The rate of T3 removal from the tissues was measured after injecting an excess of anti-T3-antibody to rats previously injected with tracer T3. In euthyroid rats, fractional turnover rates of T3 per hour were: Cx, 0.26 +/- 0.02 (SE); Cm, 0.20 +/- 0.02; L, 0.98 +/- 0.07; R, 0.97 +/- 0.12; and the calculated unidirectional plasma T3 clearance by these tissues were, in milliliters per gram per hour: Cx = 0.38, Cm = 0.32, L = 5.0, and R = 5.6. In hypothyroidism, the fractional removal rates and clearances were reduced in all tissues, in cortex and cerebellum by 70%, and in liver and kidney ranging from 30 to 50%. While greater than 80% of the 125I-T3(T4) in the brain tissues of euthyroid rats was locally produced, in hypothyroid cerebral cortex and cerebellum the integrated concentrations of 125I-T3(T4) were 2.7- and 1.5-fold greater than in euthyroid rats. In the Cx, this response resulted from an approximately sixfold increase in fractional conversion and an approximately fourfold decrease in T3 removal rate hampered by a decreased uptake of T4 from plasma, whereas in Cm the response resulted only from the reduced T3 removal rate. In euthyroid rats, the calculated production rate of T3 in nanograms per gram per hour by the Cx was 0.96 and 0.89 by the Cm, which on a per organ basis equals 15 and 2%, respectively, of the extrathyroidal production rate as assessed in the body pool exchanging with plasma. Several conclusions can be drawn: Production of T3 by developing brain is a very active process in agreement with the need of thyroid hormones during this period. (b) The brain-plasma exchange of T3 is slow compared with that of L or R. (c) This, along with the active local production, explains the predominant role of the latter as a source of T3 for the brain. (d) In hypothyroidism, the Cx is protected by an increase in the efficiency of T4 to T3 conversion and a prolong residence time of T3 in the tissue, whereas the Cm is protected only by the latter. Because of the large fraction of the T3 produced locally and the active turnover rate of T3 in the brain, reductions in T3 removal rate are of utmost importance for T3 homeostasis in these tissues.