The effect of thyroidectomy on growth hormone regulation in the ovine fetus.

To test the hypothesis that growth hormone gene messenger RNA abundance in the fetus is subject to the same effects of thyroid hormone previously demonstrated in other situations, we evaluated the effect of thyroidectomy on pituitary GH mRNA content at three gestational ages in the ovine fetus. One of each twin pair of fetal lambs underwent thyroidectomy at 90, 100 or 110 days gestation. Fetal pituitaries were collected 25-30 days later. Plasma GH and IGF-I were measured as well as pituitary GH mRNA content. Serum growth hormone in the thyroidectomy group was less than in the control twins (129.8 vs 187.6 micrograms/l, P = 0.0. GH mRNA was likewise decreased in pituitaries of thyroidectomy fetuses compared to controls (1.01 vs 1.80 units, P = 0.0006). Serum IGF-I and body weight were similar in the thyroidectomy and control twins. We conclude that the ovine fetus in the final trimester of gestation exhibits effects of thyroid hormone on serum GH and mRNA abundance similar to those seen in postnatal animals.