Influence of hyperthyroidism on splanchnic exchange of glucose and gluconeogenic precursors

Changes in Glucose Intolerance after Treatment with Antithyroid Drugs in Patients with Graves' Disease Using Continuous Glucose Monitoring: A Pilot Study

Objective Graves' disease (GD) is known to cause glucose intolerance. The present study used continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) in 15 patients newly diagnosed with GD to evaluate changes in glucose trends following improvement in the thyroid function. Methods At the time of the diagnosis of GD, each participant wore a CGM monitor for seven days, and the data recorded on days 3 to 5 were analyzed. The clinical status before treatment with antithyroid drugs was evaluated. Following successful treatment with antithyroid drugs and improvement of free thyroxine (fT4) to within the normal range, CGM was used again to evaluate the same variables after treatment. Results The primary outcome, the standard deviation (SD) of glucose, improved from a baseline value of 28.9±4.9 to a post-treatment value of 22.2±5.1 mg/dL (p=0.001). Other variables also improved after treatment, including the mean amplitude of glycemic excursion (MAGE), daily average glucose level, nocturnal average glucose level (0:00-05:59), maximum and minimum glucose, percent time with glucose at >140 mg/dL, and percent time with glucose at >180 mg/dL; however, the coefficient of variation (CV) and percent time with glucose at <70 mg/dL did not improve. A univariate analysis showed the significant correlation of the SD with TSH receptor antibody (TRAb) and 1,5-Anhydro-D-Glucitol (1,5-AG). Conclusions Our results showed that CGM-based markers of mean glucose and glucose variability improved with the improvement of the thyroid function in newly diagnosed GD patients treated with antithyroid drugs.

Metabolomic profile in hyperthyroid patients before and after antithyroid drug treatment: Correlation with thyroid hormone and TSH concentration

Hyperthyroidism (HT) is characterized by an intense metabolic impact which affects the lipid, carbohydrate and amino acids metabolism, with increased resting energy expenditure and thermogenesis. Metabolomics is a new comprehensive technique that allows to capture an instant metabolic picture of an organism, reflecting peculiar molecular and pathophysiological states. The aim of the present prospective study was to identify a distinct metabolomic profile in HT patients using ¹H NMR spectroscopy before and after antithyroid drug treatment. This prospective study included 15 patients (10 female, 5 male) who were newly diagnosed hyperthyroidism. A nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR) based analysis was performed on plasma samples from the same patients at diagnosis (HypT₀) and when they achieved euthyroidism (HypT₁). The case groups were compared with a control group of 26 healthy volunteers (C). Multivariate statistical analysis was performed with Partial Least Squares-Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA). PLS-DA identified a distinct metabolic profile between C and untreated hyperthyroid patients (R²X 0.638, R²Y 0.932, Q² 0.783). Interestingly, a significant difference was also found between C and euthyroid patients after treatment (R²X 0.510, R²Y 0.838, Q² 0.607), while similar cluster emerged comparing HypT₀vs HypT₁ patients. This study shows that metabolomic profile is deeply influenced by hyperthyroidism and this alteration persists after normalization of thyrotropin (TSH) and free thyroid hormone (FT3, FT4) concentration. This suggests that TSH, FT3 and FT4 assays may not be insufficient to detect long lasting peripheral effects of the thyroid hormones action. Further studies are needed to clarify whether and to what extent the evaluation of metabolomics profile may provide relevant information in the clinical management of hyperthyroidism.

Urinary metabolomics reveals glycemic and coffee associated signatures of thyroid function in two population-based cohorts

Background

Triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) as the main secretion products of the thyroid affect nearly every human tissue and are involved in a broad range of processes ranging from energy expenditure and lipid metabolism to glucose homeostasis. Metabolomics studies outside the focus of clinical manifest thyroid diseases are rare. The aim of the present investigation was to analyze the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of urinary metabolites with serum free T4 (FT4) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH).

Methods

Urine Metabolites of participants of the population-based studies Inter99 (n = 5620) and Health2006/Health2008 (n = 3788) were analyzed by ¹H-NMR spectroscopy. Linear or mixed linear models were used to detect associations between urine metabolites and thyroid function.

Results

Cross-sectional analyses revealed positive relations of alanine, trigonelline and lactic acid with FT4 and negative relations of dimethylamine, glucose, glycine and lactic acid with log(TSH). In longitudinal analyses, lower levels of alanine, dimethylamine, glycine, lactic acid and N,N-dimethylglycine were linked to a higher decline in FT4 levels over time, whereas higher trigonelline levels were related to a higher FT4 decline. Moreover, the risk of hypothyroidism was higher in subjects with high baseline trigonelline or low lactic acid, alanine or glycine values.

Conclusion

The detected associations mainly emphasize the important role of thyroid hormones in glucose homeostasis. In addition, the predictive character of these metabolites might argue for a potential feedback of the metabolic state on thyroid function. Besides known metabolic consequences of TH, the link to the urine excretion of trigonelline, a marker of coffee consumption, represents a novel finding of this study and given the ubiquitous consumption of coffee requires further research.

Nutritional regulation of the anabolic fate of amino acids within the liver in mammals: concepts arising from in vivo studies

At the crossroad between nutrient supply and requirements, the liver plays a central role in partitioning nitrogenous nutrients among tissues. The present review examines the utilisation of amino acids (AA) within the liver in various physiopathological states in mammals and how the fates of AA are regulated. AA uptake by the liver is generally driven by the net portal appearance of AA. This coordination is lost when demands by peripheral tissues is important (rapid growth or lactation), or when certain metabolic pathways within the liver become a priority (synthesis of acute-phase proteins). Data obtained in various species have shown that oxidation of AA and export protein synthesis usually responds to nutrient supply. Gluconeogenesis from AA is less dependent on hepatic delivery and the nature of nutrients supplied, and hormones like insulin are involved in the regulatory processes. Gluconeogenesis is regulated by nutritional factors very differently between mammals (glucose absorbed from the diet is important in single-stomached animals, while in carnivores, glucose from endogenous origin is key). The underlying mechanisms explaining how the liver adapts its AA utilisation to the body requirements are complex. The highly adaptable hepatic metabolism must be capable to deal with the various nutritional/physiological challenges that mammals have to face to maintain homeostasis. Whereas the liver responds generally to nutritional parameters in various physiological states occurring throughout life, other complex signalling pathways at systemic and tissue level (hormones, cytokines, nutrients, etc.) are involved additionally in specific physiological/nutritional states to prioritise certain metabolic pathways (pathological states or when nutritional requirements are uncovered).

Insulin action in hyperthyroidism: a focus on muscle and adipose tissue

Hyperthyroidism leads to an enhanced demand for glucose, which is primarily provided by increased rates of hepatic glucose production due to increased gluconeogenesis (in the fasting state) and increased Cori cycle activity (in the late postprandial and fasting state). Adipose tissue lipolysis is increased in the fasting state, resulting in increased production of glycerol and nonesterified fatty acids. Under these conditions, increased glycerol generated by lipolysis and increased amino acids generated by proteolysis are used as substrates for gluconeogenesis. Increased nonesterified fatty acid levels are necessary to stimulate gluconeogenesis and provide substrate for oxidation in other tissues (such as muscle). In the postprandial period, insulin-stimulated glucose uptake by the skeletal muscle has been found to be normal or increased, mainly due to increased blood flow. Under hyperthyroid conditions, insulin-stimulated rates of glycogen synthesis in skeletal muscle are decreased, whereas there is a preferential increase in the rates of lactate formation vs. glucose oxidation leading to increased Cori cycle activity. In hyperthyroidism, the Cori cycle could be considered as a large substrate cycle; by maintaining a high flux through it, a dynamic buffer of glucose and lactate is provided, which can be used by other tissues as required. Moreover, lipolysis is rapidly suppressed to normal after the meal to facilitate the disposal of glucose by the insulin-resistant muscle. This ensures the preferential use of glucose when available and helps to preserve fat stores.

Whole body and forearm substrate metabolism in hyperthyroidism: evidence of increased basal muscle protein breakdown

Thyroid hormones have significant metabolic effects, and muscle wasting and weakness are prominent clinical features of chronic hyperthyroidism. To assess the underlying mechanisms, we examined seven hyperthyroid women with Graves' disease before (Ht) and after (Eut) medical treatment and seven control subjects (Ctr). All subjects underwent a 3-h study in the postabsorptive state. After regional catheterization, protein dynamics of the whole body and of the forearm muscles were measured by amino acid tracer dilution technique using [15N]phenylalanine and [2H4]tyrosine. Before treatment, triiodothyronine was elevated (6.6 nmol/l) and whole body protein breakdown was increased 40%. The net forearm release of phenylalanine was increased in hyperthyroidism (microg.100 ml(-1).min(-1)): -7.0 +/- 1.2 Ht vs. -3.8 +/- 0.8 Eut (P = 0.04), -4.2 +/- 0.3 Ctr (P = 0.048). Muscle protein breakdown, assessed by phenylalanine rate of appearance, was increased (microg.100 ml(-1).min(-1)): 15.5 +/- 2.0 Ht vs. 9.6 +/- 1.4 Eut (P = 0.03), 9.9 +/- 0.6 Ctr (P = 0.02). Muscle protein synthesis rate did not differ significantly. Muscle mass and muscle function were decreased 10-20% before treatment. All abnormalities were normalized after therapy. In conclusion, our results show that hyperthyroidism is associated with increased muscle amino acid release resulting from increased muscle protein breakdown. These abnormalities can explain the clinical manifestations of sarcopenia and myopathy.

The effects of free fatty acids on gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis in normal subjects

We have quantitatively determined gluconeogenesis (GNG) from all precursors, using a novel method employing 2H20 to address the question of whether changes in plasma free fatty acids (FFA) affect GNG in healthy, nonobese subjects. In the first study (n = 6), plasma FFA were lowered at 16 to 20 hours with nicotinic acid (NA) and were then allowed to rise at 20 to 24 hours (FFA rebound after administration of NA). FFA decreased from 387 microM at 16 hours to 43 microM at 20 hours, and then rebounded to 1,823 microM at 24 hours. GNG decreased from 58.1% at 16 hours to 38.6% of endogenous glucose production at 20 hours (P < 0.005) and then rebounded to 78. 9% at 24 hours (P < 0.05). Conversely, glycogenolysis (GL) increased from 41.9% at 16 hours to 61.4% at 20 hours (P < 0.05), and then decreased to 21.1% at 24 hours (P < 0.05). In the second study (controls; n = 6), volunteers were analyzed between 16 and 24 hours after the last meal. FFA rose from 423 to 681 microM (P < 0.05), and GNG from 50.3% to 61.7% (P < 0.02), whereas GL decreased from 49.7% to 38.3% (P < 0.05). Endogenous glucose production decreased at the same rate in both studies, from 10.7 to 8.6 micromol/kg/min (P < 0. 05). In study 3 (n = 6), in which the NA-mediated decrease of plasma FFA was prevented by infusion of lipid and heparin, neither FFA nor GNG changed significantly. In summary, our data suggest that (a) acute changes in plasma FFA produce acute changes in GNG and reciprocal changes in GL; (b) the decrease in EGP between 16 and 24 hours of fasting is due to a fall in GL; and (c) NA has no direct effect on GNG.

Contributions of gluconeogenesis to glucose production in the fasted state

Healthy subjects ingested 2H2O and after 14, 22, and 42 h of fasting the enrichments of deuterium in the hydrogens bound to carbons 2, 5, and 6 of blood glucose and in body water were determined. The hydrogens bound to the carbons were isolated in formaldehyde which was converted to hexamethylenetetramine for assay. Enrichment of the deuterium bound to carbon 5 of glucose to that in water or to carbon 2 directly equals the fraction of glucose formed by gluconeogenesis. The contribution of gluconeogenesis to glucose production was 47 +/- 49% after 14 h, 67 +/- 41% after 22 h, and 93 +/- 2% after 42 h of fasting. Glycerol's conversion to glucose is included in estimates using the enrichment at carbon 5, but not carbon 6. Equilibrations with water of the hydrogens bound to carbon 3 of pyruvate that become those bound to carbon 6 of glucose and of the hydrogen at carbon 2 of glucose produced via glycogenolysis are estimated from the enrichments to be approximately 80% complete. Thus, rates of gluconeogenesis can be determined without corrections required in other tracer methodologies. After an overnight fast gluconeogenesis accounts for approximately 50% and after 42 h of fasting for almost all of glucose production in healthy subjects.

Thyroid status and exercise tolerance. Cardiovascular and metabolic considerations

Both hypo- and hyperthyroidism are characterised by exercise intolerance. In hypothyroidism, inadequate cardiovascular support appears to be the principal factor involved. Insufficient skeletal muscle blood flow compromises exercise capacity via reduced oxygen delivery, and endurance through decreased delivery of blood-borne substrates. The latter effect results in increased dependence on intramuscular glycogen. Additionally, decreased mobilisation of free fatty acids from adipose tissue and, consequently, lower plasma free fatty acid levels compound the problem of reduced lipid delivery to active skeletal muscle in the hypothyroid state. In contrast, cardiovascular support is enhanced in hyperthyroidism, implicating other factors in exercise tolerance. Greater reliance on muscle glycogen appears to be the primary reason for decreased endurance. Biochemical changes with hyperthyroidism that would favour enhanced flux through glycolysis may account for this dependence on glycogen. Deviations from normal thyroid function, and the ensuing exercise tolerance, require appropriate medical therapy to attain euthyroid status.

Use of 2H2O for estimating rates of gluconeogenesis. Application to the fasted state

A method is introduced for estimating the contribution of gluconeogenesis to glucose production. 2H2O is administered orally to achieve 0.5% deuterium enrichment in body water. Enrichments are determined in the hydrogens bound to carbons 2 and 6 of blood glucose and in urinary water. Enrichment at carbon 6 of glucose is assayed in hexamethylenetetramine, formed from formaldehyde produced by periodate oxidation of the glucose. Enrichment at carbon 2 is assayed in lactate formed by enzymatic transfer of the hydrogen from glucose via sorbitol to pyruvate. The fraction gluconeogenesis contributes to glucose production equals the ratio of the enrichment at carbon 6 to that at carbon 2 or in urinary water. Applying the method, the contribution of gluconeogenesis in healthy subjects was 23-42% after fasting 14 h, increasing to 59-84% after fasting 42 h. Enrichment at carbon 2 to that in urinary water was 1.12 +/- 0.13. Therefore, the assumption that hydrogen equilibrated during hexose-6-P isomerization was fulfilled. The 3H/14C ratio in glucose formed from [3-3H,3-14C]lactate given to healthy subjects was 0.1 to 0.2 of that in the lactate. Therefore equilibration during gluconeogenesis of the hydrogen bound to carbon 6 with that in body water was 80-90% complete, so that gluconeogenesis is underestimated by 10-20%. Glycerol's contribution to gluconeogenesis is not included in these estimates. The method is applicable to studies in humans of gluconeogenesis at safe doses of 2H2O.

Hepatic conversion of amino-nitrogen to urea in thyroid diseases. II. A study in hyperthyroid patients

Conflicting data have been reported on the influence of thyroid hormones on hepatic nitrogen metabolism and on liver metabolic activity. We studied the urea-nitrogen synthesis rate (UNSR) and the kinetics of the process of hepatic amino-nitrogen to urea-nitrogen conversion in response to constant alanine infusion (ie, the functional hepatic nitrogen clearance [FHNC]) in five hyperthyroid female patients before and after the achievement of a stable euthyroid status. In the same patients, galactose elimination capacity and antipyrine clearance were also measured as quantitative indices of hepatic function. The basal urea synthesis rate was nearly doubled in hyperthyroid patients (35.6 +/- 8.5 mmol.h-1 v 17.6 +/- 7.7 in euthyroid patients, P < .05) and increased linearly with increasing alpha-amino-nitrogen (alpha-AN) concentrations in both conditions. The urea synthesis rate during alanine infusion was still higher by approximately 30 mmol.h-1 in hyperthyroid subjects. The FHNC, calculated as the slope of the linear relation between the UNSR in each time interval and the corresponding average alpha-AN concentration, was not different (hyperthyroidism, 30.6 +/- 7.2 L.h-1; euthyroidism, 28.5 +/- 4.4; normal values > 25). The hepatic microsomal and cytosolic activities (antipyrine clearance and galactose elimination) were normal in hyperthyroid patients and did not change significantly after therapy. Our data show that the hepatic nitrogen metabolism of hyperthyroid patients is characterized by an upregulation of amino-nitrogen catabolism and loss of the sparing mechanism at low plasma amino acid levels, without any change in different metabolic activities.

Hepatic conversion of amino nitrogen to urea nitrogen in hypothyroid patients and upon L-thyroxine therapy

Conflicting studies have been reported regarding the influence of thyroid hormones on hepatic nitrogen metabolism and liver metabolic activity. We studied urea N synthesis rate (UNSR), functional hepatic N clearance (FHNC), galactose elimination capacity, and antipyrine clearance in six hypothyroid female patients before and after achievement of a stable euthyroid status. In both conditions, UNSR measured at intervals in response to constant alanine infusion was linearly related to the average alpha-amino N concentrations. In the hypothyroid state, peak UNSR was decreased by 31% in comparison with values measured in euthyroidism, which were in the normal range. FHNC (ie, the slope of the linear relation between UNSR and blood alpha-amino N concentration) is a measure of the kinetics of the process of hepatic amino N to urea N conversion; it was 19.8 +/- 4.0 L.h-1 in hypothyroid patients and increased to normal values after L-thyroxine replacement (30.4 +/- 3.3 L.h-1, P < .01; normal values > 25 L.h-1). Hepatic microsomal and cytosolic activities (antipyrine clearance and galactose elimination) were normal in hypothyroid patients and did not change significantly after therapy. Our data show a specific defect in hepatic handling of amino acids in hypothyroid patients, leading to reduced alpha-amino N to urea N conversion, in the absence of any detectable impairment in different hepatic metabolic activities.

Effect of short- and long-term experimental hyperthyroidism on plasma glucose level and insulin secretion during an intravenous glucose load and on insulin binding, insulin receptor kinase activity, and insulin action in adipose tissue

Glucose disposal, insulin secretion, and insulin action in adipose tissue were measured in rats treated for 10 or 30 days with high doses of thyroxine (T4). Acutely induced hyperthyroidism produced a high rate of glucose disposal after an intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT), accompanied by a high glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. In addition, in these rats the following phenomena were observed: (1) high insulin binding to isolated adipocytes due to an increase in the insulin receptor number; (2) high insulin binding to partially purified fat insulin receptors; (3) normal tyrosine kinase activity of fat insulin receptors; and (4) high insulin action in isolated adipocytes, such as glucose transport and lipogenesis. Chronically induced hyperthyroidism produced high rates of glucose disposal after an IVGTT, accompanied by an increase of basal and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. These rats showed (1) normal insulin binding to either isolated adipocytes or partially purified insulin receptors; (2) normal tyrosine kinase activity of fat insulin receptors; (3) normal insulin action in isolated adipocytes. In conclusion, exogenous hyperthyroidism induced an increase in glucose disposal, probably due in part to high insulin secretion. In short-term T4-treated rats an additional increase of insulin action in adipocytes was also observed.

Hormonal regulation of glycogen synthase and phosphorylase activities in human polymorphonuclear leukocytes

Hormonal regulation of glycogen synthase and phosphorylase activities were studied in human polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Polymorphonuclear leukocytes from normal subjects were incubated with glucose, insulin, D,L-isoproterenol and L-thyroxine, either independently or in different combinations, and changes of the enzyme activity ratios of glycogen synthase (active form (I)/total activity (T)) and glycogen phosphorylase (active form (a)/total activity (T)) were assessed. Neither glucose nor insulin changed the glycogen synthase activity ratio. However, the proportion of the active form (I) of glycogen synthase was increased by the simultaneous addition of glucose and insulin to the incubation mixture, but D,L-isoproterenol or L-thyroxine diminished this effect and caused a decrease in the proportion of the active form of glycogen synthase. Insulin had no effect on the glycogen phosphorylase activity ratio. Glucose decreased the proportion of phosphorylase in the a form. The simultaneous addition of glucose and insulin caused no further changes, whereas in the presence of D,L-isoproterenol or L-thyroxine, this glucose effect was abolished and the proportion of phosphorylase a increased. These results show that both thyroid hormone and a beta-agonist alter glycogen metabolism to reduce glycogen storage in polymorphonuclear leukocytes.

Skeletal muscle and whole body protein turnover in thyroid disease

The effects of disturbances of thyroid hormone secretion on leg and whole body amino acid and protein metabolism have been investigated in seven patients with untreated thyrotoxicosis and eight patients with untreated hypothyroidism; the results were compared to those obtained in 11 normal control subjects. After treatment, the patients were restudied. Arterio-venous exchanges of tyrosine and 3-methylhistidine across leg tissue in the post-absorptive state were used as indices of net protein balance and myofibrillar protein breakdown, respectively. Whole body protein turnover was measured using stable isotope labelling techniques with 1-[1-13C] leucine. Efflux of tyrosine from leg tissues was six-fold greater in patients with untreated thyrotoxicosis than in normal control subjects (-19.39 +/- 2.21 vs. -4.20 +/- 0.31 nmol 100 g-1 leg tissue min-1, P less than 0.005, mean +/- SEM), but 3-methyl-histidine efflux was not significantly different (-0.11 +/- 0.03 nmol 100 g-1 leg tissue min-1 vs. 0.14 +/- 0.02 nmol 100 g-1 leg tissue min-1). After treatment, when the thyrotoxic patients became euthyroid, tyrosine efflux was normalized (at -4.94 +/- 0.84 nmol 100 g-1 leg tissue min-1) and 3-methylhistidine efflux was unchanged. In hypothyroid patients, neither tyrosine nor 3-methylhistidine effluxes were significantly different from those in normal subjects.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Urinary excretion of 3-methylhistidine and creatinine and plasma concentrations of amino acids in hyperthyroid patients following preoperative treatment with antithyroid drug or beta-blocking agent: results from a prospective, randomized study

The aim of this investigation was to compare the effects of a beta 1-selective adrenoceptor blocking agent and an antithyroid drug on urinary excretion of creatinine (Cr) and 3-methylhistidine (3-MH) and plasma concentrations of amino acids in hyperthyroid patients. beta-adrenoceptor blocking agents are increasingly used in the treatment of hyperthyroid patients, and the effects on clinical signs and symptoms mainly reflect beta 1-adrenoceptor blockade. The consequences of this treatment on metabolic alterations in hyperthyroidism are not fully known. In the present study, 30 hyperthyroid patients were randomized to preoperative treatment with the antithyroid drug methimazole + thyroxine (group I) or the beta 1-selective adrenoceptor blocking agent metoprolol (group II). Urinary excretion of Cr and 3-MH and plasma concentrations of amino acids were measured at the time of diagnosis, following preoperative treatment and 6 months postoperatively. Serum triiodothyronine (T3) was comparably elevated in the two groups of patients at the time of diagnosis and was normalized during preoperative treatment in group I but remained elevated during preoperative treatment in group II. Urinary excretion of creatinine was lower at the time of diagnosis than postoperatively, suggesting reduced muscle mass during hyperthyroidism. Urinary excretion of Cr increased during preoperative treatment in group I but was not significantly altered during treatment with metoprolol. The 3-MH/Cr ratio, which was higher at the time of diagnosis than postoperatively, indicating accelerated protein breakdown in skeletal muscle during hyperthyroidism, was reduced during preoperative treatment in group I but not in group II.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Catabolic effects of thyroid hormone excess: the contribution of adrenergic activity to hypermetabolism and protein breakdown

Although patients with thyrotoxicosis improve clinically after treatment with beta-adrenergic blocking drugs, it has never been established whether the hypermetabolism and body protein wasting caused by thyroid hormone excess are actually mediated by adrenergic mechanisms. To evaluate this issue, we measured basal energy expenditure, epinephrine-stimulated calorigenesis, and leucine kinetics (an index of body protein catabolism) in six normal volunteers before and after triiodothyronine (T3) administration (150 micrograms/d for 1 week). Serum T3 rose nearly threefold (P less than 0.001) during T3 administration, producing significant increases in basal metabolic rate (21%, P less than 0.001), nitrogen excretion (45%, P less than 0.001), and leucine flux (45%, P less than 0.01). In response to epinephrine infusion, the absolute rise in metabolic rate above basal was 57% greater in the thyrotoxic condition (P less than 0.02). Although beta-adrenergic blockade with intravenous propranolol totally abolished the calorigenic response to epinephrine, it had no detectable effect on either the accelerated basal metabolic rate or the augmented body protein catabolism caused by thyroid horomone excess. Our data suggest that in the basal, resting state, the increased metabolic rate and accelerated protein breakdown caused by thyroid hormone are not adrenergically mediated. However, under nonbasal conditions (when sympathetic activity is stimulated), enhanced responsiveness to catecholamine calorigenesis may exaggerate the hypermetabolic state and thereby contribute to weight loss and other clinical manifestations of thyrotoxicosis. This mechanism may explain the clinical efficacy of beta-adrenergic blocking agents in the treatment of thyrotoxicosis.

Effects of thyroid hormone and beta-adrenoceptor blocking agents on urinary excretion of 3-methylhistidine and plasma amino acids in man

The aim of this investigation was to study the effect of beta-adrenoceptor blockade on alterations in protein metabolism induced by administration of 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine (T3) to man. Urinary excretion of 3-methylhistidine and plasma concentrations of amino acids were measured in seven healthy subjects following 1 weeks's administration of T3 alone or T3 in combination with the selective beta 1-adrenoceptor blocking agent metoprolol or the non-selective beta-adrenoceptor blocking agent propranolol. Urinary excretion of 3-methylhistidine and plasma concentrations of valine, methionine, lysine, tyrosine, phenylalanine, isoleucine, leucine, and total essential and branched chain amino acids increased following administration of T3, probably in part reflecting accelerated muscle proteolysis. Neither metoprolol nor propranolol normalized 3-methylhistidine excretion or plasma concentrations of amino acids during T3 treatment. The results indicate that metabolic alterations induced by T3 and giving rise to enhanced 3-methylhistidine excretion and elevated concentrations of plasma amino acids are not normalized by beta-adrenoceptor blockade.

Interaction of thyroid hormone and nutritional signals on thyroid hormone action

The interaction between thyroid hormone (T3) and nutritional signals has been of interest for nearly a century. Thus, enhanced glucose production, absorption and utilization are associated with hyperthyroidism, whereas diminished glucose utilization and lipogenesis characterize hypothyroidism. Recent studies have uncovered what appears to be yet another area of interaction at the molecular level. On the one hand, a marked overlap exists between the changes in rat hepatic mRNA activity profile induced by hyperthyroidism and high carbohydrate administration. On the other hand, the patterns produced by hypothyroidism, starvation and diabetes are characterized by oppositely directed shifts. These findings may be due, in part, to a synergistic relationship between carbohydrate feeding and T3 administration in the induction of many hepatic lipogenic enzymes and their respective mRNAs. Studies both in the intact rat as well as in isolated hepatocyte cultures indicate that this synergism arises from the ability of T3 to multiply an intracellular signal derived from the metabolism of glucose. The development of recombinant DNA techniques can now be applied to the study of the interaction of T3 with nutritional signals. Initial efforts have demonstrated a hepatic mRNA (mRNAS14) rapidly responsive to both T3 and carbohydrates. With this probe, studies are under way to define the precise molecular mechanisms by which T3 and carbohydrates interact to influence gene expression.

Leucine metabolism in thyrotoxicosis: plasma aminogram and 3-methylhistidine excretion before and after treatment

Previous studies have suggested increased protein catabolism and altered muscle metabolism in hyperthyroid patients. In this experiment we investigated parameters of protein and leucine metabolism before and after treatment of hyperthyroidism. While confined in a metabolic ward, patients' daily caloric intake was based on the resting energy expenditure and an allowance for 16 hours of light physical activity. We found no significant difference in plasma aminogram and urinary 3-methylhistidine excretion (an index of protein catabolism) before and after treatment. On the other hand, hyperthyroidism appeared to increase the rates of oxidation, turnover, and plasma clearance of endogenous leucine. However, only the 60% increase in the rate of leucine oxidation was statistically significant. We conclude that in spite of increased catabolism, basal levels of branched-chain amino acids are well maintained in plasma of hyperthyroid patients consuming a diet that compensates for their hypermetabolic state.

Effect of thyroid hormone excess on action, secretion, and metabolism of insulin in humans

To determine the effect of thyroid hormone excess on insulin secretion, metabolism and action in humans, we examined intravenous glucose tolerance, glucose-induced insulin secretion, insulin clearance, monocyte insulin receptor binding, and the dose-response characteristics for the effects of insulin on glucose production, uptake, oxidation, and nonoxidative disposal in 10 normal volunteers for 14 days before and after oral administration of triiodothyronine (T3) in doses that increased plasma T3 to levels observed in spontaneous thyrotoxicosis (P less than 0.001). After T3 postabsorptive plasma glucose (P less than 0.05) and insulin (P less than 0.05) both increased; intravenous glucose tolerance was unaffected, but plasma insulin responses were increased (P less than 0.01); basal glucose production, uptake, and oxidation all increased (all P less than 0.05), whereas nonoxidative glucose disposal was unaffected (P = NS); monocyte insulin receptor binding increased (P less than 0.01) due to increased receptor affinity (P less than 0.05); and receptor number was not significantly altered (P = NS). Insulin clearance was increased. Insulin-induced suppression of glucose production was impaired (Km 22 +/- 3 vs. 37 +/- 7 microU/ml, P less than 0.02); maximal insulin-induced glucose uptake (10.7 +/- 0.6 vs. 13.0 +/- 0.9 mg X kg-1 X min-1, P less than 0.001) and oxidation (3.41 +/- 0.30 vs. 5.34 +/- 0.59 mg X kg-1 X min-1, P less than 0.001) were increased without a significant change in Km. However, submaximal rates of nonoxidative glucose disposal and glucose uptake were inappropriately low for the increased insulin receptor binding.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Decreased insulin receptor binding in hyperthyroidism

The binding of 125I-insulin to insulin receptors on circulating mononuclear leukocytes was studied in ten patients with hyperthyroidism and 20 euthyroid normal volunteers. The hyperthyroid patients demonstrated significantly elevated glucose levels following an oral glucose load, despite normal insulin secretion. The infusion of insulin resulted in a delayed hypoglycaemic effect in the hyperthyroid patients; however, the inhibition of the endogenous insulin secretion as indicated by suppression of C-peptide levels was not different from euthyroid control subjects. Insulin binding to monocytes was significantly decreased in the hyperthyroid patients. Scatchard analysis of binding data indicates that a decrease of receptor number rather than receptor affinity seems to be the cause of the lowered insulin binding in hyperthyroid patients with diffuse toxic goitre. The findings of decreased insulin receptor number, mild degree of glucose intolerance despite normal insulin secretion and the delayed hypoglycaemic effect following insulin infusion suggest that peripheral insulin resistance could be involved in the highly complex pathophysiology of glucose intolerance in hyperthyroidism.

Triiodothyronine increases splanchnic release and peripheral uptake of glucose in healthy humans

To examine the effect of experimental hyperthyroidism induced by triiodothyronine (T3) administration on glucose utilization and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, euglycemic insulin clamp studies (A), hyperglycemic clamp studies (B), and estimation of splanchnic glucose metabolism after an oral glucose load by means of the hepatic venous catheter technique (C) were performed in healthy volunteers whose serum T3 concentration had been increased from 1.1 +/- 0.02 (SE) to 3.5 +/- 0.2 ng/ml. At plasma insulin concentrations of 77 +/- 6 microU/ml and maintenance of euglycemia, insulin-mediated glucose metabolism (6.8 +/- 0.4 mg X kg-1 X min-1) was not significantly altered following T3 exposure (7.2 +/- 0.7) in study A. When plasma glucose was raised and maintained at 7 mmol/l above basal, glucose uptake (10.6 +/- 0.7 mg X kg-1 X min-1) was increased to 14.6 +/- 2.0 mg X kg-1 X min-1 (P less than 0.02) following T3 administration in study B. In study C, basal splanchnic glucose output (104 +/- 10 mg/min) was markedly augmented when preceded by T3 exposure (167 +/- 17 mg/min; P less than 0.005). After a 75-g glucose load, splanchnic glucose output was enhanced by T3 by 30% (43.4 +/- 2.2 vs. 56.9 +/- 6.6 g/150 min; P less than 0.05), whereas arterial plasma concentrations of glucose, insulin, and C-peptide were not significantly different. It is concluded that in healthy humans, exposure to elevated plasma concentrations of T3 increases the amount of glucose to be released from the splanchnic bed. Glucose tolerance, however, remains unaltered, because peripheral glucose uptake is increased at the same time.

The role of thyroid hormones in the control of energy expenditure

Thyroid hormones have a direct effect on the basal or resting metabolic rate in man and a permissive effect on the adaptive thermogenesis of small animals, while altering the energy expended in exercise to the extent that patients with thyroid disorders exercise to a greater or lesser degree. The physiological concepts of energy expenditure need to be seen in the context of a new method for measuring 'thyroid thermogenesis'. Thyroid hormones seem, in evolutionary terms, to have developed a thermogenic role during the transition from poikilothermy to homeothermy; they are responsible for the increased heat production required for homeotherms to maintain body temperature above that of the environment. The potential mechanisms responsible for thyroid hormone-controlled energy expenditure are complex. Uncoupled oxidative phosphorylation is probably not responsible for thyroid hormone-controlled thermogenesis except in the special case of brown adipose tissue thermogenesis, where thyroid hormones act permissively. The concept that increased ATP generation must be coupled to ATP utilization needs to be linked with the idea that thyroid hormone-controlled thermogenesis must be through inefficient pathways of metabolism. Several of these potentially important pathways of intermediary metabolism in thyroid hormone-controlled thermogenesis can now be defined and measured, but their role in the regulation of nutritionally induced alterations in thyroid status and thermogenesis remains to be explored.

Thyroid hormone action on intermediary metabolism. Part III. Protein metabolism in hyper- and hypothyroidism

In their physiological concentrations, thyroid hormones stimulate the synthesis as well as the degradation of proteins, whereas in supraphysiological doses protein catabolism predominates. In hyperthyroidism skeletal muscle protein stores suffer depletion which is reflected by an increased urinary N- and methylhistidine -excretion. Due to the enhanced skeletal muscle amino acid release, the plasma concentration of glucoplastic amino acids are often enhanced, contributing by means of an elevated substrate supply to the increased hepatic gluconeogenesis. Thyroid hormone excess induces cardiac hypertrophy which is in direct contrast to the hypotroph skeletal muscle in hyperthyroid patients. Thyroid hormones stimulate a series of intracellular and secretory proteins in the liver, although in hyperthyroid liver alcohol dehydrogenase and the enzymes of histidine and tryptophan metabolism show reduced activities. The stimulatory effect is due to thyroid hormone-induced increase in the protein synthesis at a pretranslational level and is supported experimentally for malic enzyme, alpha 2u-globulin and albumin by the measurement of their specific messenger RNA activities. Thyroid hormone action at the cellular level is reflected by a generalized increase in total cellular RNA with a selective increase or decrease in a small population of specific mRNA. The activities of protein catabolizing lysosomal enzymes are stimulated by thyroid hormones; up to now effects of T3 on the degradation of specific enzymes have not been reported. Serum total protein concentration is slightly reduced or even unchanged in hyperthyroidism. The thyroid hormone-induced increase in the turnover of total body protein is part of the hypermetabolism observed in hyperthyroidism.

Thyroid hormone action on intermediary metabolism. Part I: respiration, thermogenesis and carbohydrate metabolism

The effect of thyroid hormones on mitochondrial respiration are summarized: T3 directly stimulates mitochondrial respiration and the synthesis of adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP). Cytosolic ATP availability is increased by a thyroid hormone-induced increase in adenine nucleotide translocation across the mitochondrial membrane; the steady state ATP concentration and the cytosolic ATP/adenosine 5'-diphosphate (ADP) ratio is even decreased in hyperthyroid tissues because of the simultaneous stimulation of the synthesis and consumption of ATP. With regard to the thyroid hormone-induced energy wasting processes, heart work, intra- and interorgan futile cycling and Na+/K+-ATPase are involved to varying degrees. As a consequence of the thyroid hormone-induced hydrolysis of ATP, thermogenesis is increased in hyper- and decreased in hypothyroidism. Despite an increased rate of glucose utilization, clinical and experimental hyperthyroidism is often characterized by an abnormal oral glucose tolerance test. This finding is due to the thyroid hormone-induced increase in intestinal glucose absorption as well as the still enhanced endogenous glucose production in the liver. Hypothyroid patients show a reduced glucose tolerance test because of a decrease in intestinal glucose absorption and a sometimes reduced glucose turnover. The thyroid hormone-induced alterations in glucose metabolism are most probably not due to alterations in serum insulin levels and/or to a peripheral insulin resistance at the receptor level.

Splanchnic exchange of glucose, amino acids and free fatty acids in patients with chronic inflammatory bowel disease

In order to study arterial concentrations and splanchnic exchange of substrates and hormones in patients with chronic inflammatory bowel disease three patients with Crohn's disease and four with ulcerative colitis were studied using the hepatic venous catheter technique. Systemic turnover and regional exchange of free fatty acid were evaluated using intravenous infusion of 14C-labelled oleic acid. All measurements were made in the postabsorptive, overnight fasted state. Arterial glucose concentrations were 10% lower in the patients but net splanchnic glucose output was similar in patients and controls. Glucose precursor uptake (lactate, pyruvate, and glycerol), however, was increased two to five fold in the patients. Arterial amino acid concentrations were generally reduced but net splanchnic amino acid uptake was the same in patients and controls. Arterial concentrations of free fatty acid and oleic acid as well as systemic and fractional turnover were similar in patients and controls. The patients' splanchnic uptake of oleic acid was increased more than three fold in comparison with controls. Splanchnic release of oleic acid was also augmented in the patients. Both arterial concentrations and splanchnic production of ketone bodies were raised in the patients. The proportion of splanchnic free fatty acid uptake which could be accounted for by ketone body production was significantly greater in the patients (37 +/- 4%) than the controls (20 +/- 5%, p less than 0.025). Estimated hepatic blood flow was 55% greater (p less than 0.01) in the patients as compared with the controls (1930 +/- 150 vs 1240 +/- 70 ml/min), while splanchnic oxygen uptake was similar in the two groups. From these findings it is concluded that patients with chronic inflammatory bowel disease show (1) markedly increased hepatic blood flow, reflecting an inflammatory hyperaemia in the splanchnic region, (2) a normal net splanchnic glucose output, (3) accelerated hepatic gluconeogenesis as well as ketogenesis, probably as a consequence of the altered hormonal milieau, and (4) low concentrations of most amino acids possibly because of protein malabsorption. These findings underscore the importance of adequate protein and carbohydrate administration to this patient group.

Evidence that thyroid hormones regulate gluconeogenesis from glycerol in man

We have previously reported that glucose production assessed using radioisotopic methods is 50% increased in hyperthyroidism but 30% decreased in hypothyroidism. These studies, however, do not distinguish between glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis. In fasting man more than 80% of circulating glycerol is cleared by the liver and enters the gluconeogenic pathway. We have therefore measured glycerol clearance following bolus intravenous glycerol administration as an indirect assessment of gluconeogenic capacity. Hyperthyroid and hypothyroid subjects were compared with separate matched controls after an overnight fast. In hyperthyroid subjects blood glucose and blood glycerol were increased but lactate, pyruvate, and alanine concentrations were normal. Glycerol clearance was increased in hyperthyroidism and followed a double exponential decay with a shortened second component half-time. Endogenous glycerol production was increased three-fold. In hypothyroidism fasting circulating levels of glucose, lactate, pyruvate, alanine, and glycerol were normal but glycerol clearance was diminished. Both first and second component half-times were prolonged in hypothyroidism and endogenous glycerol production was decreased by 50%. Thus in hyperthyroidism glycerol clearance is greatly enhanced whilst in hypothyroidism glycerol clearance is diminished. The magnitude of the changes suggests that alterations in gluconeogenesis are probably the major factors concerned in the reported increase and decrease in glucose production in hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism respectively.

Propranolol and hyperthyroidism: serum free fatty acids and glucose-induced insulin release in nondiabetic thyrotoxic patients during treatment to clinical compensation

Glucose-induced insulin secretion was studied in 10 hyperthyroid patients, without personal or familial diabetic background, treated with increasing weekly doses of propranolol until clinical compensation was obtained. Intravenous glucose tolerance tests (25g) with concomitant determination of serum glucose, insulin and FFA were done before treatment, at 240 mg/day of propranolol and after clinical compensation. Patients were divided into two groups according to laboratory data and propranolol dosage needed for clinical compensation (group A: 240 mg/day; group B: 320-400 mg/day). Fasting serum insulin, glucose disappearance rate, and estimates of total insulin secretion after intravenous glucose did not change significantly during propranolol therapy and were within the normal range. Fasting FFA of untreated patients were significantly higher than control values (p less than 0.001), but a significant decrease was already seen at 240 mg/day of propranolol, even before clinical compensation. There was a marked difference in the insulin secretion pattern of thyrotoxic patients as compared to controls. Serum insulin and insulin:glucose ratios increased promptly, and at 5 min after glucose reached significantly higher levels than in normal subjects, before treatment as well as after clinical compensation with the propranolol therapy. Both the increased levels of FFA and of T3 could be involved in this pattern of the insulin response of nondiabetic thyrotoxic patients, since the secretion of insulin during the first 10 min after intravenous glucose was directly correlated to fasting serum FFA before propranolol, and serum T3 was directly correlated with total insulin response after clinical compensation. Furthermore the comparison of the results obtained in group A and group B patients raises the possibility that an increased beta-cell responsiveness to beta-adrenergic stimuli might also be involved in this pattern of insulin secretion.

Glucose and insulin effects on the novo amino acid synthesis in young men: studies with stable isotope labeled alanine, glycine, leucine, and lysine

We have explored interrelationships between te dynamic aspects of whole body glucose and alanine and glycine metabolism in adult humans. Using a primed, continuous intravenous infusion of [1-13C] leucine or lysine given simultaneously with [2H3] or [15N]alanine or [15N]glycine, respectively, whole body alanine and glycine fluxes and their rates of de novo synthesis were determined in three experiments with healthy young men. Subjects were studied in the post-absorptive state and during a 150 min period of an intravenous infusion with unlabeled glucose, at a rate of 4 mg.kg-1 min-1. In one experiment, insulin was given together with the glucose infusion to maintain normoglycemia. In the other two studies, subjects received glucose alone. For the post-absorptive state, alanine flux (mean +/- SEM) was 381 +/- 26 and 317 +/- 18 mumole.kg-1 hr-1 in two separate experiments and glycine flux was 240 +/- 22 mumole.kg-1 hr-1. De novo synthesis of alanine and glycine accounted for 75%-81% and 81% of flux, respectively. Infusion with glucose alone raised plasma glucose to a mean level of 152 mg/dl and increased alanine flux, due to a rise in alanine synthesis of 98 mumole.kg-1 hr-1 (p less than 0.01). Glycine flux and synthesis rate were unaffected by the glucose infusion. When insulin was given with glucose to maintain normoglycemia, the rate of alanine synthesis was unchanged. Because glucose uptake rate, measured with [6,6-2H2] glucose was the same whether glucose was infused along or with exogenous insulin, these results support the view that the circulating plasma glucose level itself may affect alanine synthesis and that the hyperglycemic state is an important factor in regulating interorgan nitrogen transfer, via alanine, in various pathophysiologic states.

Turnover and splanchnic metabolism of free fatty acids in hyperthyroid patients

The arterial concentration and turnover rate and the splanchnic exchange of FFA were examined after an overnight fast in a group of 11 female patients with clinical and laboratory evidence of hyperthyroidism. [14C]oleic acid was infused intravenously and the hepatic venous catheter technique was used. As compared with healthy control individuals, the arterial concentrations of FFA and oleic acid were elevated by 30--40% in the hyperthyroid group. Both the turnover rate and the fractional turnover of oleic acid were significantly increased. The turnover rate correlated directly with arterial concentration of oleic acid in both the control and the patient group but the slope was steeper in the patients. The splanchnic uptake of oleic acid was three times higher than in the control group. The augmented uptake was a consequence of elevated arterial concentrations and increased hepatic plasma flow, whereas fractional splanchnic uptake remained unchanged. Ketone body production was four- to fivefold greater in the patients and could be largely accounted for by increased splanchnic FFA uptake. In six patients studied after treatment resulting in a return to normal thyroid function, a significant reduction was observed in arterial FFA, estimated hepatic blood flow, oleic acid turnover, and ketone body production. It is concluded that hyperthyroidism is characterized by increased turnover and splanchnic uptake of FFA and augmented ketogenesis. These findings can be explained on the basis of elevated arterial FFA concentrations and increased blood flow, particularly to the splanchnic bed.