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Published on: June 14, 2020

Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide concentrations in heart atria of hypothyroid rats

J Kuncová1, J Slavíková

  • 1Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Plzen, Czech Republic.

Experimental and Clinical Cardiology
|April 30, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Hypothyroidism significantly increases vasoactive intestinal polypeptide-like immunoreactivity (VIP-LI) in rat atria. This effect is more pronounced in developing rats, suggesting thyroid hormones are crucial for VIP-ergic innervation development.

Area of Science:

  • Endocrinology
  • Neuroscience
  • Cardiovascular Physiology

Background:

  • Thyroid hormones regulate numerous physiological processes, including cardiovascular function and neural development.
  • Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) is a neuropeptide involved in regulating heart rate and contractility.
  • The role of hypothyroidism in modulating VIPergic innervation in the developing and adult heart remains incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effects of propylthiouracil (PTU)-induced hypothyroidism on VIP-like immunoreactivity (VIP-LI) in rat atria.
  • To compare the impact of perinatal versus adult-onset hypothyroidism on atrial VIP-LI levels.

Main Methods:

  • Induction of hypothyroidism in pregnant rats (perinatal) and adult rats using PTU.
  • Measurement of heart rate, serum thyroxine, body weight, and atrial weight.
  • Quantification of VIP-LI levels in atrial tissue extracts using radioimmunoassay.

Main Results:

  • Hypothyroidism was confirmed by reduced heart rate, thyroxine levels, and altered body/atrial weights.
  • Significant increases in atrial VIP-LI were observed in rats with stable hypothyroid conditions (PTU-30 and PTU-70).
  • Perinatal hypothyroidism (P-PTU) resulted in higher VIP-LI levels compared to adult-onset hypothyroidism (PTU-70).

Conclusions:

  • Hypothyroidism significantly alters VIP-ergic innervation in rat heart atria.
  • Thyroid hormone deficiency impacts VIP-LI levels differently depending on the developmental stage (perinatal vs. adult).
  • These findings highlight the critical role of thyroid hormones in the development of cardiac VIP-ergic innervation.
Abstract

Keywords:
AtriaDevelopmentHypothyroidismRatVasoactive intestinal polypeptide

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