Chronic alcohol ingestion decreases pituitary-thyroid axis measures in Fischer-344 rats.
In a chronic feeding study adult male Fischer-344 rats (n = 12) were fed a nutritionally complete liquid diet containing 10% (w/v) ethanol for 40 days while control animals (n = 12) were pair fed a nutritionally complete isocaloric diet in which dextrose was substituted for ethanol. Treated animals were gradually introduced to and withdrawn from the 10% diet. At the end of the study and at sacrifice ethanol-fed rats had gained slightly more weight than pair-fed controls. They also showed a significant decrease in total thyroxine, free thyroxine, L-triiodothyronine, reverse L-triiodothyronine, and basal thyroid-stimulating hormone. These differences did not appear to result from caloric deprivation alone. Possible explanations for some of these thyroidal changes are discussed.
Mason
G A
GA
Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 27599.
Stanley
D A
DA
Walker
C H
CH
Hashimoto
H
H
Noonan
L R
LR
Prange
A J
AJ
D000437:Alcoholism / Q000097:blood*; D000818:Animals; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000187:drug effects*; D013963:Thyroid Hormones / Q000097:blood*; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000097:blood; D013973:Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone; D014284:Triiodothyronine / Q000097:blood; D014285:Triiodothyronine, Reverse / Q000097:blood
D013963:Thyroid Hormones; D014284:Triiodothyronine; D014285:Triiodothyronine, Reverse; D013973:Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone; D013972:Thyrotropin