Rat lymphocytic thyroiditis associated with ingestion of an immunosuppressive compound

Lymphocytic thyroiditis was induced in young Wistar rats by feeding them the immunosuppressive compound frentizole [1-(6-methoxy-2-benzothiazolyl)-3-phenyl urea] for 1 year. About half of the rats given 0.060 and 0.150% frentizole in the diet had lymphocytic thyroiditis. The incidence of thyroiditis was low in the group given the high dose because of severe anemia and hepatic disease which resulted in increased mortality. Reversibility of the thyroid lesion was indicated by reduced incidence rates at 15 and 18 months after treatment was stopped at 1 year. The thyroiditis was characterized by interstitial infiltrates of many lymphocytes and plasma cells and fewer macrophages with mild degenerative changes in the follicular epithelium. This inflammatory cell infiltrate was generally diffuse but occasionally was multifocal, particularly in thyroid glands of rats late in the reversibility phase of the study. The inflammatory cell infiltrate caused the thyroid glands to be several times normal size. Sera from rats with lymphocytic thyroiditis contained hemagglutinating antibody against rat perfect correlation between the presence of anti-thyroglobulin antibody and enlarged thyroid glands. Fine granular deposits of IgG and complement were identified in some areas of the follicular basement membrane. We concluded that the lymphocytic thyroiditis was immunologically mediated, at least in part, by anti-thyroglobulin antibody.