The nude rat is established as a model for endocrine studies: regulation of thyroid function and xenotransplantation of a thyroid tumor cell line.
The thyroid physiology of athymic nude rats, rnu/rnu, is characterized and established here as an animal model to study transplanted thyroid tumors. Male rats were catheterized 5 days before experiments were started. The mean thyroid-stimulating-hormone (TSH) plasma concentrations were 2.9 +/- 0.6 ng/ml during infusion of 0.25 ml/h of 0.9% NaCl (n = 12). T3 plasma concentrations were 2.6 +/- 0.4 ng/ml. T4 plasma levels were 22.0 +/- 5.6 micrograms/dl. A bolus of 0.1 mg thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) significantly increased TSH plasma concentrations (P less than or equal to 0.001; from 2.9 +/- 0.6 to 7.8 +/- 1.1 ng/ml, n = 12). No pulsatile TSH secretion was observed in a 2-hour period with blood samples taken every 10 minutes (n = 12) and hourly sampling disclosed no circadian variation of TSH during a 24-hour period (n = 4). Successful xenografting was possible in 12 of 15 cases using a follicular thyroid carcinoma cell line (FTC 133). Measurement of human thyroglobulin (hTg) by a hTg IRMA revealed high levels in rats with functional FTC tumors, whereas no hTg was detected in untransplanted rats or animals with nonfunctional transplants.
Hoang-Vu
C
C
Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Abteilung Klinische Endokrinologie, Zentrum Innere Medizin und Dermatologie, Germany.
Dralle
H
H
Schröder
S
S
Oertel
M
M
Köhrle
J
J
Hesch
R D
RD
von zur Mühlen
A
A
Brabant
G
G
D000818:Animals; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D011923:Rats, Nude / Q000502:physiology*; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000097:blood; D013973:Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D013974:Thyroxine / Q000097:blood; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous / Q000473:pathology; D014284:Triiodothyronine / Q000097:blood; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D014284:Triiodothyronine; D013973:Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone; D013972:Thyrotropin; D013974:Thyroxine