Effects of ethanol on the ultrastructure of the hamster thyroid C-cell

The morphology of the thyroid C-cells in golden hamsters after short- and long-term treatment with ethanol was studied. Immunohistochemistry was applied to examine the distribution of the C-cells in the thyroid gland. In the short-term experimental animals, the Golgi complexes and the granular endoplasmic reticulum were well developed and the number of the secretory granules was decreased as compared with those of the control animals. These findings suggest that the cellular activity of the thyroid C-cell is stimulated after short-term treatment with ethanol. The morphology of the thyroid C-cells of the long-term experimental animals was similar to that of the controls. It is conceivable that long-term treatment with ethanol does not affect the function of the C-cell.