Endocrinology, Vol 124, 1365-1369, Copyright © 1989 by Endocrine Society

ARTICLES

Inhibitory effect of lithium on the release of thyroid hormones from thyrotropin-stimulated mouse thyroids in a perifusion system

M Mori, K Tajima, Y Oda, I Matsui, K Mashita and S Tarui
The Second Department of Internal Medicine, Osaka University Medical School, Japan.

We studied the effect of lithium on the release of T3, T4, and cAMP from perifused mouse thyroids and on cAMP content in thyroid pieces. Lithium significantly inhibited T3 and T4 release from TSH-stimulated mouse thyroids. This inhibitory effect on thyroid hormone release was dependent on the concentration of lithium. Under continuous stimulation with TSH and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine, both cAMP release and cAMP content were significantly decreased by lithium. In addition, we studied the effect of lithium on (Bu)2cAMP-stimulated thyroid hormone release. T3 and T4 release was stimulated by (Bu)2cAMP in a similar way to TSH. Lithium significantly inhibited (Bu)2 cAMP-stimulated T3 and T4 release from perifused mouse thyroids. These results suggest that lithium inhibits the action of TSH in the thyroid gland by both suppression of cAMP production and inhibition at a step beyond cAMP generation.

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