title: The effects of exogenous melatonin on the morphology of thyrocytes in pinealectomized and irradiated rats.
abstract: We investigated the effects of exogenous melatonin on the thyrocytes morphology in gamma-irradiated rats under condition where the pineal gland, as a main physiological source of endogenous melatonin, was removed. Three months after pinealectomy animals were divided into two groups: one group of animals was treated with 0.5 ml of vehicle (ethanol diluted in water) and other group was injected intraperitoneally 2 mg/kg of melatonin dissolved in 0.5 ml of vehicle daily during the period of fourteen days. After this treatment all the animals were irradiated with a single dose of 8 Gy gamma rays. Ionising radiation induced apoptosis, hydropic swelling or/and necrosis in both groups of animals, however these changes were less discerned in the thyrocytes of melatonin-treated animals. Our findings demonstrate that administration of exogenous melatonin prior to irradiation reduces radiation-induced thyrocytes damage.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Department of Histology and Embryology, University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Zlata.Kundurovic@fmoh.gov.ba
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kundurovic
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sofic
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005720:Gamma Rays; D008550:Melatonin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010870:Pineal Gland / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000528:radiation effects* / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D008550:Melatonin