Age-related changes in thyroid lesions and function in F344/DuCrj rats

Immunohistochemical profiling of the ultimobranchial remnants in the rat postnatal thyroid gland

Ultimobranchial (UB) remnants are a constant presence in the thyroid throughout rat postnatal life; however, the difficulty in identifying the most immature forms from the surrounding thyroid tissue prompted us to search for a specific marker. With that objective, we applied a panel of antibodies reported to be specific for their human counterpart, solid cell nests (SCNs), using double immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. Our results demonstrated that cytokeratin 34βE12 and p63 are highly sensitive markers for the immunohistologic screening of UB-remnants, independently of their maturity or size. Furthermore, rat UB-follicles (UBFs) coincided with human SCNs in the immunohistochemical pattern exhibited by both antigens. In contrast, the pattern displayed for calcitonin and thyroglobulin differs considerably but confirm the hypothesis that rat UB-cells can differentiate into both types of thyroid endocrine cells. This hypothesis agrees with recent findings that thyroid C-cells share an endodermic origin with follicular cells in rodents. We suggest that the persistence of p63-positive undifferentiated cells in UB-remnants may constitute a reservoir of basal/stem cells that persist beyond embryogenesis from which, in certain unknown conditions, differentiated thyroid cells or even unusual tumors may arise.

Postnatal fate of the ultimobranchial remnants in the rat thyroid gland

The ultimobranchial follicles (UBFs) are considered embryonic remnants from the ultimobranchial body (UBB). They are follicular structures that vary in size and appearance depending on the age of the rat. The main objective of this article was to study the progressive changes in shape, size, and frequency of the UBFs in the postnatal rat, from birth to old-age. To accomplish that objective, a systematic morphometric and incidental study of the UBF has been carried out in 110 Wistar rats of different ages and both sexes, divided into three groups: 1) young rats (5-90-day-old); 2) adult rats (6-15-month-old), and 3) old rats (18-24-month-old). The glands were serially sectioned and immunostained for calcitonin at five equidistant levels. According to our results, UBFs were observed in all thyroid glands but a more exhaustive sampling was occasionally necessary in male rats. In young rats, immature UBFs predominantly appeared whereas in adult rats, mature UBFs with cystic appearance and variable luminal content prevailed. We frequently found spontaneous anomalous UBFs in old rats, which we have termed as "ultimobranchial cystadenomata." Additionally, in young rats, UBF areas significantly increased with age and they were larger when compared to that of normal thyroid follicles. Likewise, in adult rats, UBFs were significantly larger than normal thyroid follicles but only in female rats. In general, UBFs in females were also significantly larger than those found in male rats. Finally, all these differences related to UBFs together with a higher incidence in females of UB cystadenomata suggest a sexual dimorphism in regard to the destiny of these embryonic remnants during postnatal thyroid development.

Age-specific absolute and relative organ weight distributions for Fischer 344 rats

The Fischer 344 (F344) rat has been the standard rat strain used in toxicology studies conducted by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Toxicology Program (NTP). However, the numerous reports published to date on growth, survival, and tumor incidence have not included an overall compilation of organ weight data. Notably, dose-related organ weight effects are endpoints used by regulatory agencies to develop toxicity reference values (TRVs) for use in human health risk assessments. In addition, physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models, which utilize relative organ weights, are increasingly being used to develop TRVs. Because a compilation of organ weights for F344 rats could prove beneficial for TRV development and PBPK modeling, all available absolute and relative organ weight data for untreated control F344 rats were collected from NCI/NTP feed, drinking-water, and inhalation studies in order to develop age-specific distributions. Results showed that organ weights were collected more frequently at 2-wk (59 studies), 3-mo (148 studies), and 15-mo (38 studies) intervals than at other intervals and more frequently from feeding and inhalation than from drinking-water studies. Liver, right kidney, lung, heart, thymus, and brain weights were most frequently collected. From the collected data, the mean and standard deviation for absolute and relative organ weights were calculated. Findings showed age-related increases in absolute weights and decreases in relative weights for brain, liver, right kidney, lung, heart, thyroid, and right testis. The results suggest a general variability trend in absolute organ weights of brain < right testis < heart < right kidney < liver < lung < thymus < thyroid.