HISTOLOGICAL AND HISTOCHEMICAL CHANGES OF THE RABBIT THYROID GLAND DURING EXPERIMENTAL PEPTIC ULCER (I. The Follicular Cells) / 解剖学报

ABSTRACT

Fifty-two adult male rabbits, weighing 2～3kg, were divided into three groups. 1. Peptic ulcer were induced in 25 animals by injecting 0.3ml/kg of 40％ acetic acid into the submucosa of the stomach after laparotomy under aseptic conditions 2. 19 animals were operated as above but the same amount of normal saline were injcted instead of acetic acid 3. 8 normal rabbits were raised under the same conditions without any treatment and served as controls. The thyroid glands of three groups were taken at definite time intervals (1～40 days) after the operation. The right thyroids were prepared for cryostat sections after hexane quenching (-60℃) and subjected to enzyme histochemical studies. The left thyroids were fixed in Carnoy's fluid and subjected to histological and other histochemical studies. The following results were observed.The reactions of enzymes of follicular cells were weaker than the normal in the animals of the second group during the period of 3～21 days after the operation and injection of saline. The follicular ceils became flattened and follicular lumens increased in size. These changes began to show signs of recovery on the 28th day of the experiment. In the follicular cells of the first group of animals in which peptic ulcer developed after injection of acetic acid, the similar changes were observed as in the second groug of animals during the early period of 1～3 days after operation, but from 7 to 21 days after the operation, the reactions of Acid phosphatase, Succinate dehydrogenase, Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, Glycerphosphate dehydrogenase, Peroxidase, Adensine triphosphatase and Alkaline phosphatase were stronger and the sizes of follicular lumens were smaller, the colloid droplets were more numerous than those of the animals of the second group. These changes in the follicular cells of animals of the first group began to show signs of recovering toward norrnal on the 28 th day and became almost normal on the 40 th day after operation.These findings suggest that the thyroid follicular ceils were involved in the regulatory activities of the organism for the healing of the peptic ulcer.