Effects of short- and long-term thyroidectomy on mitochondrial and nuclear activity in adult rat brain

We compared subcellular activities in brain and liver at various times after thyroidectomy. Male S.D. rats were used on days 5, 10 or 60 after surgery. Mitochondrial properties were estimated by determining the respective activities of oxidative phosphorylation, succinate oxidase, succinate and beta-hydroxybutyrate cytochrome c reductase and alpha-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase. Nuclear activity was estimated by measuring the RNA polymerase I activity. In brain, RNA polymerase I activity already declined at 5 days after thyroidectomy, whereas mitochondrial respiratory enzymes decreased significantly only after 60 days. In liver, nuclear RNA polymerase I and mitochondrial enzyme activities were observed to drop simultaneously by the 5th day after thyroid removal. On the other hand, daily T3 s.c. injections, 0.25 microgram/100 g B.W., were given for 10 days to rats immediately after thyroidectomy (10 days Tx) or to chronically hypothyroid rats (60 days Hth). Hormonal treatment either maintained or restored subcellular activities to their normal level, both in brain and liver. These data suggest that the metabolic properties of brain mitochondria are sensitive to thyroid hormones, but that the brain needs less iodothyronines than other organs. The fast reduction of RNA polymerase I by thyroidectomy and its subsequent restoration by T3 suggest that the nuclear activity greatly depends on thyroid status.