The influence of temperature on histological and radiochemical measurements of thyroid activity in the eastern brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis Mitchell

Abstract

Histological and radiochemical techniques for assessing thyroid activity were compared on yearling brook trout acclimated at 5, 12, and 15 °C.The mean thyroid follicle epithelial cell height was 7.4 μ (range 6.0–8.6 μ) at 5 °C; 3.5 μ (range 2.9–3.9 μ) at 12 °C, and 2.3 μ (range 1.9–2.9 μ) at 15 °C. Assuming that a taller epithelial cell height indicates greater thyroid activity, then an inverse relationship between thyroid activity and acclimation temperature exists.Both the uptake of radioiodide by the thyroid (T/S) and the clearance of radioiodide from the serum were greater at higher temperatures. Serum PB125I production was negligible within 8 days after radioiodide injection and the conversion ratio could not be applied as an index of thyroid function, Assuming, however, that the thyroid radioiodide uptake is an index of thyroid activity, then there is a direct relationship between thyroid activity and acclimation temperature.In view of the marked discrepancy between these histological and radiochemical techniques, fractional rates of turnover of serum thyroxine were compared by determining the biological half-life (t½) for serum PB125I after L-thyroxine-125I intraperitoneal injection at different temperatures. The serum PB125I clearance curves were complex and tentative t½ values of 18.0 days (5 °C, 3.2 days (12 °C), and 1.5 days (15 °C) were obtained. These results indicate a more rapid serum PBI turnover at higher temperatures and support the radiochemical measurements.