Reduced axoplasmic somatostatin transport in hypothyroid rats

The effect of hypothyroidism on neuronal function was studied by measuring axoplasmic transport of immunoreactive somatostatin in rat sciatic nerve by the ligation technique. Accumulation of immunoreactive somatostatin proximal to a ligature was linear up to 8 h in normal, in thyroidectomized, and in parathyroidectomized rats. The transport rate was decreased by 38% in thyroidectomized rats as compared to normal rats and was unchanged in parathyroidectomized rats. Sciatic nerve content of somatostatin in hypothyroid rats did not differ from control. Reduced accumulation of immunoreactive somatostatin in hypothyroid rats may be due to a decrease in somatostatin synthesis or in axoplasmic transport, or to an increase in the degradation rate of the peptide.