Nitric oxide synthase system in the brain development of neonatal hypothyroid rats

Thyroid hormones play an important morphogenetic role during the fetal and neonatal periods and regulate numerous metabolic processes. In the central nervous system, they control myelination and overall brain development, regional gene expression, and regulation of oxygen consumption. Their deficiency in the fetal and neonatal periods causes severe mental retardation, due to lack of thyroid function, or to iodine deficiency. At the same time, nitric oxide is an atypical neurotransmitter that also has special relevance in neuronal development and plasticity and functions as a vasodilator, regulating cerebral blood flow. Although under physiological conditions it functions as a neuroprotector, in excess it can be neurotoxic. We have studied, by immunocytochemical and Western blot techniques, the evolution of the expression of neuronal and inducible isoforms of the enzyme nitric oxide synthase, and of nitrotyrosine as a marker of protein nitration produced by the presence of nitric oxide, during the early stages of postnatal brain development. We induced hypothyroidism by administering mercaptomethylimidazole to pregnant mothers, from the seventh day of gestation until the sacrifice of the offspring. The results show a delay in the evolution of the expression of the two isoforms of the enzyme nitric oxide synthase in hypothyroid animals, followed by an anomalous overexpression in later stages. Finally, the expression of nitrotyrosine follows an evolution that is synchronized with that shown by both isoenzymes in control and hypothyroid animals.