Neurotransmitter control of hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid function in rats

Lithium and endocrine disruption: A concern for human health?

Lithium is a key medication for the treatment of psychiatric disorders and is also used in various industrial applications (including battery production and recycling). Here, we review published data on the endocrine-disrupting potential of lithium, with a particular focus on the thyroid hormone system. To this end, we used PubMed and Scopus databases to search for, select and review primary research addressing human and animal health endpoints during or after lithium exposure at non-teratogenic doses. Given the key role of thyroid hormones in neurodevelopmental processes, we focused at studies of the neural effects of developmental exposure to lithium in humans and animals. Our results show that lithium meets the World Health Organization's definition of a thyroid hormone system disruptor - particularly when used at therapeutic doses. When combined with knowledge of adverse outcome pathways linking molecular initiating events targeting thyroid function and neurodevelopmental outcomes, the neurodevelopmental data reported in animal experiments prompt us to suggest that lithium influences neurodevelopment. However, we cannot rule out the involvement of additional modes of action (i.e. unrelated to the thyroid hormone system) in the described neural effects. Given the increasing use of lithium salts in new technologies, attention must be paid to this emerging pollutant - particularly with regard to its potential effects at environmental doses on the thyroid hormone system and potential consequences on the developing nervous system.

Effects of various antidepressants on serum thyroid hormone levels in patients with major depressive disorder

A total of 62 patients with major depressive disorder were analyzed in the study. Patients were evaluated for 11 weeks in an open label design to investigate the differential effects of reboxetine, sertraline and venlafaxine on thyroid hormones. Serum thyrotrophin (TSH), thyroxine (T4) and free (f)T4 levels were measured before and after treatment. All groups showed significant improvement in HAM-D scores. TSH level significantly reduced and T4 level significantly increased in the reboxetine group, however TSH level significantly increased and T4 level significantly reduced in the sertraline group. Percent changes of TSH (p=0.007) and T4 (p=0.001) were significantly different between the reboxetine and sertraline groups. In the sertraline group, baseline TSH levels were correlated with response to treatment as determined by the change in HAM-D scores (p=0.03, r=0.648). There was a significant association between the percent changes in TSH values and the reduction in HAM-D scores in the reboxetine group (p=0.03, r=-0.434). In the whole study group, female patients had lower values of basal T4 compared with men (p=0.043), however percent changes of T4 did not differ between genders. In the treatment-responders significant increase in the reboxetine group and significant decrease in the sertraline group regarding the T4 values were found. We observed that various antidepressants had different effects on thyroid hormone levels and this could be attributed to the different mechanisms of actions of these antidepressants.

Effect of excitatory amino acids on serum TSH and thyroid hormone levels in freely moving rats

The actions of glutamate (L-Glu), and glutamate receptor agonists on serum thyroid hormones (T4 and T3) and TSH levels have been studied in conscious and freely moving adult male rats. The excitatory amino acids (EAA), L-Glu, N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), kainic acid (KA) and domoic acid (Dom) were administered intraperitoneally. Blood samples were collected through a cannula implanted in the rats jugular 0--60 min after injection. Thyroid hormone concentrations were measured by enzyme immunoassay, and thyrotrophin (TSH) concentrations were determined by radioimmunoassay. The results showed that L-Glu (20 and 25 mg/kg) and NMDA (25 mg/kg) increased serum thyroxine (T4), triiodothyronine (T3) and TSH concentrations. Serum thyroid hormone levels increased 30 min after treatment, while serum TSH levels increased 5 min after i.p. administration, in both cases serum levels remained elevated during one hour. Injection of the non-NMDA glutamatergic agonists KA (30 mg/kg) and Dom (1 mg/kg) produced an increase in serum thyroid hormones and TSH levels. These results suggest the importance of EAAs in the regulation of hormone secretion from the pituitary-thyroid axis, as well as the importance of the NMDA and non-NMDA receptors in this stimulatory effect.

Relationship between psychotropic drugs and thyroid function: a review

Some widely used psychoactive drugs, such as tricyclic antidepressants and antipsychotic phenothiazines exhibit iatrogenic effects on the thyroid. These side effects may arise from interactions at different steps of thyroid hormone biosynthesis. These drugs can induce a change in iodine capture by thyroid cells or can complex iodine, making it unavailable for thyroid hormone synthesis and thus decreasing thyroid hormone blood levels; they can also inhibit thyroid peroxidase activity and thus T3 and T4 synthesis or enhance deiodination of T4 to T3 or to Rt3 by stimulation of deiodinase activity. Moreover, tricyclic antidepressants interfere with the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis via the noradrenergic or serotonergic systems and might therefore decrease T4 or T3 blood levels, respectively. Phenothiazines can induce autoimmune hypothyroidism, as shown by an increase in the expression of the major histocompatibility complex antigen and by a production of antithyroglobulin or antithyroperoxidase antibodies. However, all these mechanisms are only speculative in humans, as they have only been demonstrated in vitro or in animal experiments. Clinically, thyroid function and affective disorders are closely linked. On one hand, the therapeutic response to antidepressants could be influenced by the thyroid status; on the other hand, the larger the thyroxin decrease induced by antidepressants, the better the therapeutic effect might be. Moreover, cotreatment with thyroid hormones and antidepressant drugs could allow either a decrease in the rate of treatment failure or a faster recovery from depression. As antipsychotic or antidepressant treatments are administered over long periods in humans, their thyroid toxic effects must be taken seriously.

Thyroid hormone plasmatic levels in rats treated with serotonin in acute and chronic way

Many experiments show that serotonin (5-HT) controls thyroidal function at hypothalamic level, inhibiting the TRH secretion. The majority of experiments are done in an acute way, consisting of a single serotonin dose injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) or intracerebroventricularly (ic) with the effect registered after a short time (usually 1 h) as in normal environmental conditions similar to the TSH stimulation test, that consists of transfer of the experimental animals from 30 degrees C to 4 degrees C for 30 min, thus inducing stimulation of the hypothalamus-hypophysis-thyroid axis. The aim of the present research was to study the correlation between 5-HT and the thyroidal function, measuring plasmatic thyroid hormone levels in rats i.p. treated in chronic (injected daily for 10 days with different doses of 5-HT), and in acute way (after 1 h from a single 2.0 mg/kg bw 5-HT dose) in normal environmental conditions to evidence the serotonin site action activity outside the blood-brain barrier. The results of the chronic experiment show an inhibitory effect of 5-HT, on T3 and T4 plasmatic level, only when it is injected at medium doses (0.2 and 0.4 mg/kg bw for T3, and 0.2 for T4), while the results of the acute experiment do not evidence any modification. These results show that in normal environmental conditions the outside 5-HT site action is active only when the 5-HT is injected chronically at defined doses, probably for a down-regulation phenomenon.

Influence of imipramine on the hypothalamic/pituitary/thyroid axis of the rat

The effects of the tricyclic antidepressant drug imipramine at different levels of the hypothalamic/pituitary/thyroid axis were investigated in the rat. Intraperitoneal (IP) treatment for 14 days with imipramine at 10 mg/kg, but not 2 mg/kg, reduced serum total thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). A similar decrease in serum total T4 was observed in thyroidectomized T4-treated rats, suggesting that imipramine treatment enhances T4 clearance instead of reducing T4 secretion. There were no parallel decreases in serum free T4 and T3 concentrations, due to the simultaneous increase in the free fractions of both T4 and T3 following imipramine treatment. In vitro experiments using equilibrium dialysis indicated that neither imipramine nor its metabolite desipramine directly influenced the binding of T4 or T3 to their transport proteins following addition to normal serum, suggesting an indirect effect of imipramine or desipramine on free hormone concentrations in vivo. Concentrations of T4 and T3 in the brain, liver, and heart were unaffected by imipramine treatment, suggesting that the drug did not affect cellular uptake and metabolism of T4 and T3. Serum concentrations of thyrotropin (TSH) were unaffected by imipramine pretreatment at either dose level, compatible with the fact that serum free T4 and T3 concentrations were not reduced. Moreover, there was no difference in thyrotrope responsiveness to stimulation by TSH-releasing hormone (TRH) and to inhibition by T4 and T3 in rat anterior pituitary cells cultured ex vivo for 18 hours from control and imipramine-treated rats. Furthermore, in vitro exposure of cultured rat anterior pituitary cells to imipramine and desipramine indicated that both agents decreased TSH secretion only at concentrations greater than 10(-6) mol/L. These concentrations of imipramine and desipramine in the culture medium would exceed the free concentrations of these drugs seen in vivo therapeutically. In addition, no direct effects of 10(-6) mol/L imipramine or desipramine on the TSH response to TRH or to T3 were observed in vitro in cultured pituitary cells. A potential indirect effect of imipramine or desipramine on TSH secretion via altered hypothalamic control of thyrotropes does not seem likely, due to the lack of effect of imipramine treatment on serum TSH concentrations in imipramine-treated rats. In conclusion, imipramine treatment reduces serum total T4 and T3 in the rat, with enhanced clearance being the most likely explanation for the effect on T4. There was no evidence for altered tissue T4 or T3 concentrations or for altered thyrotrope function. The enhanced T4 clearance may explain the reduction in total T4 reported for imipramine-treated depressed patients. However, the effects of imipramine treatment on the transport of thyroid hormones in plasma need to be examined in more detail in patients, since interspecies differences in the nature of the transport proteins preclude extrapolation of the present results from the rat.

Effects of domoic acid on serum levels of TSH and thyroid hormones

The actions of Domoic Acid (Dom), a marine toxin, on the levels of serum TSH and thyroid hormones (T4 and T3) has been studied to determine if these actions could be mediated by the serotoninergic system. In all the experiments, adult male Wistar rats were used. The Dom dissolved in saline was administered via i.p. in doses of 0.5 and 1 mg/kg. The T4 and T3 concentrations were determined by enzimoinmunoassay and TSH concentration was determined by radioinmunoassay. The results show that Dom 1 mg/kg increases the serum T4 levels one hour after treatment and decreases these levels 2 and 3 hr after treatment. Dom 0.5 mg/kg decreased the serum T4 levels 2 and 3 hr after treatment. The concentrations of T3 in serum were unchanged by both doses of Dom. The concentration of TSH was increased by Dom. In order to study the possible mediation of the serotoninergic system in the effect of Dom on the hormone levels, PCPA, a tryptophan hydroxylase inhibitor, was administered i.p. 90 min before blood sampling. In this case, with both doses of Dom a decrease in the levels of both hormones occurred with respect to the PCPA group. These results indicate that the serotoninergic system could affect the actions of Dom on TSH and thyroid hormone secretion.

The stimulatory effect of chronic lithium treatment on basal thyrotropin secretion in rats: in vivo antagonism by methylparaben

Chronic treatment of rats with lithium chloride was examined in order to determine its effects on hypothalamic monoamine and metabolite content, basal thyrotropin (TSH) secretion and thyroid function. The hypothalamic concentrations of noradrenaline (NA), dopamine (DA) and its metabolites, dihydroxyphenylacetic acid. (DOPAC) and homovanillic acid (HVA) in the lithium treated rats remained unaltered when compared to control levels. NA turnover and the NA metabolite, 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (total MHPG), were significantly lower (p < 0.01), whereas both serotonin (5-HT) and its metabolite, 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid (5-HIAA), were significantly higher (p < 0.01 and p < 0.02, respectively) in the lithium treated rat hypothalami than in controls. Chronic lithium treatment significantly elevated basal TSH levels (p < 0.05). This effect was antagonized by methyl p-hydroxybenzoate (methylparaben, p < 0.01), which did not itself affect basal TSH levels. Free serum T3 and T4 levels were not significantly affected by chronic lithium treatment, although T4 tended to be slightly lower than control levels. The monoamine changes observed in the hypothalamus of lithium treated rats did not appear to account for the elevated TSH levels observed in these rats since NA activity which is generally regarded as stimulatory was decreased and 5-HT which has an inhibitory effect on TSH secretion, was increased. The elevated TSH levels may have been due to a reduced negative feedback inhibition of TSH release by the mildly reduced circulating T4 levels caused by chronic lithium treatment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Neuroendocrine regulation of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) in the tuberoinfundibular system

[...] It is now required to list each part needed for mucous excretion. They are two ducts in the brain substance, then a thin portion of membrane shaped as the infundibulum, then the gland that receives the tip of this infundibulum and the ducts that drive the mucus (pituita) from this gland to the palate and nares. [...] and I said that one (duct) [...] from the middle of the common cavity (third ventricle) descends [...] into the brain substance, and the end of this duct is [...] the sinus of the gland where the brain mucus is collected [...].

Tricyclic antidepressants, thyroid function, and their relationship with the behavioral responses in rats

We first studied the effects of tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) on thyroid function in rats in the learned helplessness paradigm. TCAs (clomipramine 32 mg/kg, desipramine 16, 24 mg/kg, or imipramine 8, 16, 32 mg/kg per day) were injected IP for 5 consecutive days. Blood samples were collected 1 hr after the last administration of the antidepressant for radioimmunoassay determination of triiodothyronine (T3) and thyrotropin. Whereas inducing helplessness did not result in any change in T3 and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels, TCA therapy dose dependently decreased the T3 levels without changing TSH levels in helpless animals and in naive control rats. To further the investigation, the effects of TCAs on thyroid function were examined using two models of experimentation, one involving diabetes induction, the other using food deprivation; both are known to induce a resistance to TCAs that is reversible under T3 treatment. In both models, a decreased T3 level existed prior to the TCA administration. Although they had no effect on behavior, TCAs further decreased the T3 levels in diabetic and food-restricted rats. This study confirms that TCAs decrease thyroid function and suggests that the antidepressant effect of TCAs is not related to their T3 decreasing effects.

Effect of fenfluramine on prolactin and thyroid-stimulating-hormone response to thyrotropin-releasing-hormone in obese and normal women

In order to demonstrate the suggested failure of the serotoninergic system in human obesity and to evaluate the role of central serotoninergic activity in prolactin (PRL) and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) release in this condition, 13 euthyroid obese and 9 healthy women of normal weight were studied. A TRH test (200 micrograms i.v.) was performed before and after administration of fenfluramine (FF) 60 mg b.d. for 14 days. In the controls, FF did not modify the expected significant increase in PRL induced by TRH. In obese patients, however, the PRL levels was significantly increased after TRH, but the increase was less than in the controls. After FF, the PRL response to TRH was larger than in the pretreatment phase, with values similar to those observed in normal subjects. In neither group FF did change the TSH-stimulating effect of TRH, but the hormonal response in obese patients was greater than in the controls. The restoration of the responsiveness of PRL to TRH after central serotoninergic stimulation confirms the hypothesis that a failure of the serotoninergic system may occur in human obesity. Since FF does not interfere with the secretory pattern of basal and stimulated TSH in normal or obese subjects, the serotoninergic system does not seem to play a major role in the control of TSH secretion.

Activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis during exposure to cold

It seems clear from the studies reviewed here that there is adequate evidence to support the concept of a biphasic response of the thyroid gland to cold as first postulated by Moll et al. (1972). The initial response to acute exposure to cold begins at the level of the hypothalamus as a result of either neural stimuli from skin and other areas and/or blood of somewhat lower than normal temperature reaching the hypothalamus (Andersson et al., 1963). As a result, the secretion of norepinephrine and/or dopamine may increase, and serotonin and/or somatostatin may decrease. The net result of these is an increase in the release of TRH from the hypothalamus. This, in turn, stimulates the cascade for the release of TSH from the anterior pituitary gland and thyroid hormone from the thyroid gland. Moll et al. (1972) postulated the lack of a feedback limb in this acute phase, and, indeed, this may be the case. It is possible, however, that certain hormones, such as somatostatin, norepinephrine, T3, and T4 could act in the capacity of feedback inhibitors. Additional experiments will be required to assess this possibility. The transitional link between the acute (less than 1 day) and chronic (greater than 1 day) phases of the response of the thyroid gland to cold could be T4 itself. An increase in the concentration of T4 in plasma has been reported to increase peripheral deiodination of T4 to T3 by kidneys and liver of rats. There are no studies at present to indicate that hepatic conjugation can be increased by elevation of plasma levels of T4 and T3. If it can, these responses would provide adequate reasons as to why peripheral metabolism of thyroid hormones increases during chronic exposure to cold. The time-course for these changes to occur needs to be studied in greater detail to establish the sequence of events following acute exposure to cold. The latter may also increase urinary excretion of T4 and T3 in man, but not the rat. This suggests that another aspect of exposure to cold needing additional study is measurement of the binding affinities of T4 and T3 for their transport proteins during exposure to cold as compared to affinities prior to exposure to cold. If binding affinities are reduced, the amount of free hormones would increase and, consequently the likelihood of being excreted into urine and conjugated by the liver would also increase.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Effect of chronic desipramine treatment on neurotransmitter-thyrotropin releasing hormone--thyrotropin interactions in the rat

Long-term administration of the antidepressant drug, desipramine (20 mg/kg/day, orally for 28 days), decreased the stimulatory effect of the alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonist, clonidine (250 micrograms/kg, i.p.) on thyrotropin (TSH) secretion in the rat, but did not alter basal TSH secretion. beta-Adrenoceptor-mediated inhibition of TSH secretion by isoproterenol (1 mg/kg, i.p.) was unaffected by chronic desipramine treatment, as were the stimulatory effect of TSH-releasing hormone (TRH, 5 micrograms/kg, i.v.) on TSH release and its inhibition by the alpha-adrenoceptor antagonist, phentolamine (2 mg/kg, i.p.). These findings suggest that chronic desipramine treatment induces subsensitivity of alpha 2-adrenoceptors which modulate TSH secretion in the rat while not affecting beta-adrenoceptor-mediated inhibition of TSH release. These findings suggest that pituitary TRH receptors are unchanged but that changes occurred at the hypothalamic level in alpha 2-adrenoceptor-mediated stimulation of TRH release. Although cerebral beta-adrenoceptors have been shown convincingly to be down-regulated after chronic desipramine treatment, their function in the hypothalamic TRH system after 28 days of treatment with desipramine appears to be unimpaired.

Early inhibition and changes in diurnal rhythmicity of the pituitary-thyroid axis after superior cervical ganglionectomy of rats

The effect of superior cervical ganglionectomy (SCGx) on the pituitary-thyroid axis was examined in rats. SCGx decreased serum thyrotropin (TSH) and thyroxine (T4) levels for up to 4 days after surgery, during and immediately after completion of anterograde degeneration of regional sympathetic terminals. At later times TSH levels in control and SCGx rats did not differ, but a significant increase of serum T4 was found two weeks after SCGx. A diurnal rhythm in serum TSH and T4 levels with maxima at 11.00 h (TSH) and at 14.00 and 22.00 h (T4) was found in sham-operated rats 3 days after surgery. At this time SCGx evoked a general depression of TSH levels as well as a shift of 3 h in their maximum. A similar shift of the afternoon peak and abolition of the nocturnal peak in serum T4 were detectable in SCGx rats. In SCGx animals examined during anterograde nerve degeneration, i.e. 14 h after surgery, injection of the alpha 1-adrenoceptor blocker phenoxybenzamine negated denervation-induced changes of TSH and counteracted partially T4 effects. The beta-adrenergic blocker propranolol did not modify serum TSH levels in SCGx rats but further decreased serum T4 concentration. Treatment with both drugs simultaneously did no affect TSH release compared to SCGx, phenoxybenzamine-treated rats but effectively decreased serum T4. These results further support the involvement of superior cervical ganglion neurons in the control of thyroid function.