Tissue blood flow in control and cold-adapted hyperthyroid rats

N. J. Rothwell, M. J. Stock

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Chronic injections (once daily for 10-14 days) of triiodothyronine (T3) stimulated oxygen consumption by 50 and 15% in anaesthetized, control (24 °C), and cold-adapted (5 °C) rats, respectively, compared with euthyroid controls. Tissue blood flow, determined from the distribution of radioactive microspheres, was unaffected by T3 treatment in skeletal muscle, scrotum, brain, bone, skin, diaphragm, and brown adipose tissue (BAT) of rats housed at 24 °C, but was decreased in spleen (53% of control) and significantly increased in three white adipose tissue depots (average 267% increase) and liver (56%). Blood flow to epididymal fat and leg muscle of cold-adapted rats was increased by T3 treatment (100 and 138% increases, respectively), but other tissues were unaffected. Blood oxygen extraction and oxygen consumption in vivo by interscapular BAT was increased in hyperthyroid rats compared with euthyroid controls, but was reduced by T3 treatment in cold-adapted animals. These data show that BAT makes only a minor contribution (7%) to thyroid thermogenesis, but suggest that kidney, liver, gut, and particularly white adipose tissue may be involved.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)928-933
Number of pages5
JournalCanadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
Volume62
Issue number8
Publication statusPublished - 1984

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