Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Thyroid Axis Perturbations in Male Mice by CNS-Penetrating Thyromimetics

Endocrinology. 2018 Jul 1;159(7):2733-2740. doi: 10.1210/en.2018-00065.

Abstract

Thyromimetics represent a class of experimental drugs that can stimulate tissue-selective thyroid hormone action. As such, thyromimetics should have effects on the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis, but details of this action and the subsequent effects on systemic thyroid hormone levels have not been reported to date. Here, we compare the HPT-axis effects of sobetirome, a well-studied thyromimetic, with Sob-AM2, a newly developed prodrug of sobetirome that targets sobetirome distribution to the central nervous system (CNS). Similar to endogenous thyroid hormone, administration of sobetirome and Sob-AM2 suppress HPT-axis gene transcript levels in a manner that correlates to their specific tissue distribution properties (periphery vs CNS, respectively). Dosing male C57BL/6 mice with sobetirome and Sob-AM2 at concentrations ≥10 μg/kg/d for 29 days induces a state similar to central hypothyroidism characterized by depleted circulating T4 and T3 and normal TSH levels. However, despite the systemic T4 and T3 depletion, the sobetirome- and Sob-AM2-treated mice do not show signs of hypothyroidism, which may result from the presence of the thyromimetic in the thyroid hormone-depleted background.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acetates / metabolism
  • Animals
  • Central Nervous System / metabolism*
  • Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / metabolism*
  • Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / pathology
  • Hypothyroidism / metabolism
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Phenols / metabolism
  • Pituitary Gland / metabolism*
  • Pituitary Gland / pathology
  • Radioimmunoassay
  • Thyroid Gland / metabolism*
  • Thyroid Gland / pathology
  • Thyroid Hormones / metabolism
  • Thyroxine / metabolism
  • Triiodothyronine / metabolism

Substances

  • Acetates
  • GC 1 compound
  • Phenols
  • Thyroid Hormones
  • Triiodothyronine
  • Thyroxine