Low doses of T3 induce a rapid metabolic response in young lambs

Injection of 1 microgram/kg T3 resulted in an increase in metabolic rate (VO2) within an hour of administration to lambs (aged 27 to 180 h). A larger dose of 5 micrograms/kg T3 initially caused a slight inhibition of VO2, which was followed in the second post-injection hour by a significant increase. The increase in VO2 during the second post-injection hour after either 1 microgram/kg or 5 micrograms/kg T3 represented a rise of 22% above pre-injection VO2. The increase persisted and was slightly enhanced during the third post-injection hour. These changes were significantly greater than the smaller changes which followed control injection (P less than 0.005). No significant changes in Tre or Tesk occurred after any treatment. This rapid response to low, physiological doses of T3 emphasises a possible role for thyroid hormones in the short-term control of metabolism in young animals.