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Fetal hypothyroidism alters pancreatic growth
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Hypothyroidism in babies influences insulin-secreting cells in and development of the pancrease, according to a press release from The Physiological Society.
Researchers measured levels of thyroid hormone, insulin and leptin, as well as the rate of cell division and number of beta cells in fetal sheep that had their thyroid gland removed in utero.
Researchers found that the number and rate of cell divisions of the beta cells impaired the growth and development of the fetal pancreas. They observed asymmetric organ growth patterns and elevated plasma insulin and leptin concentrations.
“The study highlights a novel role for thyroid hormones in regulating pancreatic development and opens up new question to be explored,” Shelley Harris, MSc, PhD, postdoctoral research scientist in the department of physiology, anatomy and genetics at the University of Oxford, said in the release.