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Effect of hypothyroidism on postnatal conjunctival development in rats
A Micali1, A Pisani, D Puzzolo
1Department of Biomorphology and Biotechnologies, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
Insights
Hypothyroid rats exhibit altered conjunctival development, with delayed goblet cell differentiation and thinner epithelium compared to normal rats. Thyroid hormone levels significantly impact ocular surface development in these genetically epilepsy-prone rats.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Endocrinology
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Thyroid hormones are crucial for development.
- Hypothyroidism can affect various physiological processes.
- Conjunctival development involves epithelial and goblet cell differentiation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate conjunctival development in hypothyroid genetically epilepsy-prone rats (GEPRs).
- To compare conjunctival development between hypothyroid GEPRs and control Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats.
- To assess the influence of thyroid hormone levels on conjunctival goblet cell differentiation.
Main Methods:
- Structural, ultrastructural, and histochemical analysis of conjunctival epithelium.
- Comparison of GEPRs and SD rats before and after eyelid opening.
- Focus on goblet cell differentiation and epithelial morphology.
Main Results:
- Goblet cells were absent at birth in both strains.
- Alcian blue-positive goblet cells appeared after eyelid opening (day 16), isolated in GEPRs and clustered in SD rats.
- Epithelium was thinner in GEPRs (6-7 layers) than in SD rats (8-10 layers) at day 16 and 3 months.
- Goblet cell distribution varied between strains at 3 months.
Conclusions:
- Hypothyroid rats display distinct conjunctival development compared to normothyroid rats.
- Thyroid hormone imbalance appears to influence conjunctival epithelial and goblet cell development.
- Conjunctival development is sensitive to thyroid hormone status.
Aim:
To study the conjunctival development in hypothyroid genetically epilepsy-prone rats (GEPRs) with serum T3 and T4 significantly lower than in normal rats.
Methods:
A structural, ultrastructural and histochemical study on the conjunctival epithelium of GEPRs and of control Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats before and after eyelid opening, with particular regard to goblet cell differentiation.
Results:
From birth to day 12, no goblet cells were demonstrated on the conjunctival surface of both strains, so that the epithelium was formed only by a cuboidal basal layer and by a superficial layer of roundish or flattened cells. On day 16, after the eyelid opening, Alcian blue (AB)-positive goblet cells filled with homogeneous granules were demonstrated isolated, in GEPRs, or clustered, in SD rats, in both the fornices and palpebral conjunctiva. The epithelium showed a basal layer and many layers of flattened cells and was taller in SD rats (8-10 layers) than in GEPRs (6-7 layers). At 3 months, the epithelium in SD rats was higher with generally clustered goblet cells, whilst in GEPRs goblet cells were both isolated or clustered. In both strains, the goblet cells showed a marked AB/periodic acid-Schiff positivity all over the conjunctival surface and were filled with granules of different density. In both strains, goblet cells were absent at birth and their appearance, as AB-positive cells, was concomitant with eyelid opening.
Conclusions:
Hypothyroid rats showed a conjunctival development different than that of normothyroid rats for both epithelial and goblet cells. It appears that thyroid hormone imbalance may influence conjunctival development.
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