TY  - JOUR
A1  - ,  
T1  - Sex-related differences in pituitary GH-expressing cells induced by hypothyroidism following treatment with methimazole
JO  - Eur. J. Anat.
SN  - 1136-4890
Y1  - 2004
VL  - 8
SP  - 11
EP  - 15
UR  - http://www.eurjanat.com/web/paper.php?id=04010011
KW  - growth hormone
KW  - sex hormone
KW  - thiamazole
KW  - animal cell
KW  - animal experiment
KW  - article
KW  - cell density
KW  - cell nucleus
KW  - cell size
KW  - cell ultrastructure
KW  - controlled study
KW  - cytoplasm
KW  - drug effect
KW  - female
KW  - gender
KW  - growth hormone blood level
KW  - hormone action
KW  - hormone release
KW  - hypophysis cell
KW  - hypothyroidism
KW  - immunocytochemistry
KW  - male
KW  - morphometrics
KW  - nonhuman
KW  - rat
KW  - rat strain
KW  - sex difference
KW  - somatic cell
N2  - An immunocytochemical and morphometric study of pituitary GH-expressing cells was carried out in adult rats following chronic treatment with methimazole. The morphological results were correlated to the basal GH serum levels. In both sexes, hypothyroidism. induced by methimazolee produced a significant decrease of GH serum levels in relation to untreated animals (p<0.05). Morphometrically, methimazole induced significant decreases in the nuclear area (p<0.05) and in the numerical density of immunoreactive cells (p<0.05). In males, these modifications were accompanied by a significant decrease in cellular and cytoplasmic size (p<0.05), but this was not seen in females. Our results confirm the existence of a physiological stimulatory role of thyroid hormones on the activity of pituitary somatotroph cells that must be modulated by gonadal steroids because the effects of hypothyroidism were more evident in male than in female rats.
ER  -