title: Impact of nitrate intake in drinking water on the thyroid gland activity in male rat.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of nitrate on both the activity of the thyroid gland and other biological parameters. After 5-month treatment, nitrate 150 and 500 mg/l induced a significant decrease in the serum level of thyroid hormone T3. For T4, the 500 mg/l dose only reduced its plasma level. On the other hand, nitrate induced a dose-dependent increase in the weight of the thyroid gland. The histological study of the thyroid gland shows vacuolisation and an increase in the size of the follicles accompanied by a flatness of follicular epithelium with nitrate 150 and 500 mg/l. We concluded that the presence of high concentrations of nitrate in drinking water influence the growth, induce morpho-functional modifications of the thyroid gland and might be considered as a goitrigenic factor.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Physiologie Animale, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université Cadi Ayyad, Béni Mellal, Morocco.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zaki
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ait Chaoui
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Talibi
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Derouiche
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aboussaouira
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zarrouck
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chait
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Himmi
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004326:Drinking; D008297:Male; D009018:Morocco; D009566:Nitrates / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D017680:Potassium Compounds / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D013974:Thyroxine / Q000097:blood; D014284:Triiodothyronine / Q000097:blood; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D014881:Water Supply / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D009566:Nitrates; D017680:Potassium Compounds; D014873:Water Pollutants; D014284:Triiodothyronine; D013974:Thyroxine; C023844:potassium nitrate