Thyroid Function in Hypophysectomized Mice Bearing Intraocular Pituitary Implants

Abstract

Intraocular hypophysial transplants in 1- to 2-month-old BALB/c X C3H hypophysectomized mice did not maintain body wt. or the wts. of thyroid, ovaries, adrenals, or uterus significantly above those of hypophysectomized controls. Nevertheless, the implants were able to maintain a radioiodine uptake/unit thyroid wt. and a thyroid/serum iodide ratio at 2/3 the level of the intact controls. This indicates that thyroid function and thyroid size are not necessarily correlated in the mouse and that the former can be maintained to considerable degree in the absence of the normal hypophysial anatomical relationship.