Screening study of the effects of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis on hemostasis in rats

N N Negrev1, R Z Radev, M S Velikova

  • 1Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Varna University of Medicine, Varna, Bulgaria.

The hormonal regulation of hemostasis has had little attention in research, and the existing literature data are relatively contradictory. The possible effects of the hormones of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis on hemocoagulation and the fibrinolytic system are studied here. The study was conducted on 80 white male rats of the Wistar breed. The necessary blood quantity was obtained by cardiac puncture realized under ether narcosis. The basic parameters of the hemocoagulation and fibrinolytic activity of the plasma were determined by Diagnostica Stago tests (France), using an automatic coagulometer (Italy). The hormones employed in the study: Thyreotropin releasing hormone (0.06 mg/kg bw), Thyroid stimulating hormone (1 MU/kg bw), Triiodothyronine (0.08 mg/kg bw), and Thyroxin (0.08 mg/kg bw) applied s.c. for three consecutive days, extended the activated partial thromboplastine time (p less than 0.001), proto-thromboplastine time (p less than 0.001), thrombin time (p less than 0.001), reptilase time (p less than 0.001), and shortened the euglobin clot lysis time of (p less than 0.001). These data indicate that each of the hormones used causes significant changes in hemostasis by suppressing the coagulability by the intrinsic and extrinsic system pathways, and transformation of fibrinogen into fibrin. The shortened euglobim clot lysis time may be recognized as a manifestation of increased levels of plasma plasminogen activators. The results obtained show that hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid hormones are significant regulators of hemostasis, since they cause an expressed hypocoagulation and increase plasma fibrinolytic activity.

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