In order to clarify the interaction between the thyroid and the adrenal, histological studies were performed on normal and bilaterally adrenalectomized rabbits. For this experiment, 14 adult male rabbits were sacrificed, 3 as control, 11 adrenalectmized. Extirpation of the adrenals was arried out on two times, first on the right and after 7 days on the left.
The results were as follows :
1) In the normal rabbits' thyroid, there were PAS-positive granules in the cells of follicular epithel as well as inside of the follicles.
Such granules in the follicular epithelial cells accumulated near the colloidal sides from the supranucler parts and then it seemed that the PAS positive granules may be secreted into the lumen of the follicles.
2) A few thin ductlike structures were recognized between epithelial cells, with were stained by the PAS method, and passed through epithelial wall from the follicle lumen to the interstitium. But they were seldom found among the rabbits with lived more than ten days after bilateral extirpation of the suprarenal glands.
From this it is surmised that the functional changes of the thyroid glands may influence upon the existence on the ductlike structures.
3) There was a basement membrane-like structure at the base of the follicular cells which was PAS positive. 4) The adrenalectomized rabbits which lived more than ten days after bilateral extirpation showed that all follicles began to be filled with the PAS positive colloid meterials and the height of the epithial cells became lower and those tendencies were maximum in the survials of 25 days.
Judging from these findings, it seems that both production and discharge of the thyroid hormones would be disturbed in the bilaterally adrenectomized rabbits but the latter may be more markedly inhibited.
The main causes of these phenomena may be attributed to the following two factors : the one is the decrease of TSH secretions from the pituitary gland and the other is the decrease of the thyroxine consumption rate at the peripheral tissues.
5) And thus, within the limited extent of this experimental study, it seems likely that there is a synergic relationship between the functions of the thyroid glands and of the suprarenal glands.
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