Effect of thyroid status and paraventricular area lesions on the release of thyrotropin-releasing hormone and catecholamines into hypophysial portal blood

TRH is a potent stimulator of pituitary TSH release, but its function in the physiological regulation of thyroid activity is still controversial. The purpose of the present study was to investigate TRH and catecholamine secretion into hypophysial portal blood of hypothyroid and hyperthyroid rats, and in rats bearing paraventricular area lesions. Male rats were made hypothyroid with methimazole (0.05% in drinking water) or hyperthyroid by daily injections with T4 (10 micrograms/100 g BW). Untreated male rats served as euthyroid controls. On day 8 of treatment they were anesthetized to collect peripheral and hypophysial stalk blood. In euthyroid, hypothyroid and hyperthyroid rats plasma T3 was 1.21 +/- 0.04, 0.60 +/- 0.04, and 7.54 +/- 0.33 nmol/liter, plasma T4 50 +/- 3, 16 +/- 2, and 609 +/- 74 nmol/liter, and plasma TSH 1.58 +/- 0.29, 8.79 +/- 1.30, and 0.44 +/- 0.03 ng RP-2/ml, respectively. Compared with controls, hyperthyroidism reduced hypothalamic TRH release (0.8 +/- 0.1 vs. 1.5 +/- 0.2 ng/h) but was without effect on catecholamine release. Hypothyroidism did not alter TRH release, but the release of dopamine increased 2-fold and that of noradrenaline decreased by 20%. Hypothalamic TRH content was not affected by the thyroid status, but dopamine content in the hypothalamus decreased by 25% in hypothyroid rats. Twelve days after placement of bilateral electrolytic lesions in the paraventricular area plasma thyroid hormones and TSH levels were lower than in control rats (T3: 0.82 +/- 0.05 vs. 1.49 +/- 0.07 nmol/liter; T4: 32 +/- 4 vs. 66 +/- 3 nmol/liter; TSH: 1.08 +/- 0.17 vs. 3.31 +/- 0.82 ng/ml). TRH release in stalk blood in rats with lesions was 15% of that of controls, whereas dopamine and adrenaline release had increased by 50% and 40%, respectively. These results suggest that part of the feedback action of thyroid hormones is exerted at the level of the hypothalamus. Furthermore, TRH seems an important drive for normal TSH secretion by the anterior pituitary gland, and thyroid hormones seem to affect the hypothalamic release of catecholamines.