Immediate and Dose-Response Related Increase of Biliary Excretion of Reverse Triiodothyronine after Propylthiouracil Administration

Abstract

In a group of rats infused with L-thyroxine (0.13 micrograms T4 in 0.6 ml alkaline saline per hour) for 6 h to which an infusion of propylthiouracil (PTU) was added beginning from the 3rd hour (2 mg PTU in 0.6 ml saline per hour) a significant increase of biliary excretion of reverse triiodothyronine (rT3) was found. In another experiment a dose-response related rT3 excretion by bile was observed in groups of rats infused with 0.05, 0.10, 0.20 or 0.40 mg PTU in 1.2 ml alkaline saline per 2 h, all animals receiving a pulse dose of 1 micrograms rT3 at the beginning of PTU infusion. It was concluded that the increase of rT3 excretion results from the inhibition of 5'-deiodinase type I activity in the liver caused by PTU. It thus appears that such phenomenon may be used as in vivo marker of that enzyme activity.