Effect of iodobenzene therapy on mitochondrial activity in 2-thiouracil-induced hypothyroidism in weanling rats

Hypothyroidism was produced in weanling albino rats by the oral administration of 2-thiouracil (TU) for 110 days. These animals recorded nearly 50 per cent reduction in mitochondrial oxidation of succinate, protein content and the activity of inner mitochondrial membrane-bound beta-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase. Administration of iodobenzene (IB; 0.1 microgram/rat/day) and L-thyroxine (T4; 0.6 microgram/rat/day) to two sets of hypothyroid rats restored the reduced oxidation rate, enzyme activity and protein content to near normal values. IB was comparable to T4 and may act as a thyroid stimulant.