Pituitary and serum levels of prolactin (PRL), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and serum thyroxine (T4) in hereditary dwarf rats (rdw/rdw).
Female and male hereditary dwarf mutation rats (rdw), offspring of those found by Koto et al. in a breeding colony of Wistar-Imamichi rats, were decapitated to collect blood and pituitary glands at 10 weeks of age. Levels of pituitary prolactin (PRL), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and serum PRL, TSH and thyroxine (T4) in rdw rats were measured and compared with levels in normal rats (N). The hormone levels were measured with radioimmunoassay (RIA). It was found that the levels of pituitary and serum PRL were considerably lower in rdw rats and that the level of serum T4 was also significantly lower than that in normal rats. TSH per pituitary was significantly lower in rdw rats but TSH per mg pituitary was not different between rdw and normal rats. The levels of serum TSH in rdw was not different from that in normal rats, but was rather higher in female rdw rats than in normal female rats. When the results of previous research were combined with the present results, it was clear that rdw rats are characterized by hypoplasia of GH and PRL synthetic cells of the pituitary and that rdw rat is possibly useful as a model animal with endocrinological defects in pituitary PRL and GH.
Umezu
M
M
Laboratory of Animal Reproduction, Faculty of Agriculture, Tohoku University, Miyagi, Japan.
Fujimura
T
T
Sugawara
S
S
Kagabu
S
S
D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004393:Dwarfism, Pituitary / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009154:Mutation; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000503:physiopathology; D011388:Prolactin / Q000097:blood*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000097:blood*; D013974:Thyroxine / Q000097:blood*
D011388:Prolactin; D013972:Thyrotropin; D013974:Thyroxine