Effects of sub-lethal heroin administration on thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), thyroid hormones (T3, T4) and thyroid gland of Mus norvegicus.

Serum TSH level of control Mus norvegicus fluctuated between 498.20 +/- 21.92 and 506.80 +/- 22.35 ng ml(-1), thyroxine (T4) between 68.17 +/- 3.46 and 69.03 +/- 4.12 microg dl(-1) and triiodothyronine (T3) between 4.76 +/- 0.52 and 5.00 +/- 0.66 microg dl(-1). Sub-lethal heroin administration induced a significant decline in the levels of all the three hormones at 24 hr and 15 days post-administration. Decline in the levels of these hormones registered the lowest values (p<0.001) by day 30 of the treatment. Thyroid gland of control rat consisted of spherical, round follicles lined with low cuboidal and columnar epithelial cells and lumina filled with eosinophilic colloid. Ultrastructurally, the thyroid follicular cells showed the presence of round nuclei, polymorphic mitochondria, Golgi complex as well as lysosomes located on the apical side of the nucleus and cytoplasm with different sizes of lipid droplets and smooth along with rough endoplasmic reticulum. Basal lamina of the follicular cells was often in association with the endothelium of the capillaries. Sub-lethal heroin administration for 30 days elicited degenerative changes in the follicular epithelial cells as evident by the vacuolization of cytoplasm, pycnotic nuclei and reduced colloidal content. Ultrastructurally, the thyroid follicular cells showed indented nuclei with heavy deposition of chromatin material on the inner membrane of nucleus and dilated rough endoplasmic reticulum. Along with RBC infiltration, vesiculated mitochondria owing to the loss of cristae were also seen. Diffused electron-dense material was seen at the periphery of the cell body. Heroin treatment caused cellular necrosis as revealed by the fragmentation of cytoplasmic materials in follicular epithelial cells of the gland.