[Changes in the lymphoid tissue and metabolic shifts in the liver in thymus hormone deficiency]

The investigation has been performed on 44 Wistar rats, some of them at the age of 2 months have been subjected to thymectomy. In 3, 6 and 12 months in the spleen, axillary and popliteal lymph nodes density of cell populations, position of lymphatic nodules have been determined, and in the liver--activity of key enzymes of gluconeogenesis. In the animals with the deficiency of the thymic hormones the most manifested changes are seen in 3 and 12 months: decrease in cell population density in the lymph nodes and in their T-dependent zones, decrease in amount of small lymphocytes, in density of the lymphoid nodules arrangement. The dynamics of processes is also followed at analysis of the key enzymes activity of gluconeogenesis in the liver: glucose-6-phosphatase activity is decreased in 3 months after thymectomy, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxycinase activity--in 12 months. Fructose-1,6-diphosphotase activity is not changed. The thymic hormones deficiency is supposed to disturb the ratio of cyclic nucleotides and in this way participate both in inhibition of the immune function and in decrease of metabolic activity mediated by cyclic adenosine monophosphate.