Abstract
Fasting and refeeding have considerable effects on thyroid hormone metabolism. In tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), fasting results in lower plasma T3 and T4 concentrations when compared to the ad libitum fed animals. This is accompanied by a decrease in hepatic type II (D2) and in brain and gill type III (D3) activity. No changes in kidney type I (D1) activity are observed. Refeeding results in a rapid restoration of plasma T4 values but not of plasma T3. Plasma T3 remains low for two days of refeeding before increasing to normal levels. Liver D2 and gill D3 also do not increase until two days after refeeding. Brain D3, on the other hand, rises immediately upon refeeding. These results suggest that the change in hepatic D2 activity is one of the main factors responsible for the changes in plasma T3 observed during starvation and refeeding in tilapia. This finding supports the hypothesis that, in contrast to mammals and birds, liver D2 is the primary source of plasma T3 in fish. Although the deiodinases important for the gross regulation of plasma T3 during fasting/refeeding differ (mammals: D1 and D3, birds: D3, fish: D2), they all occur in the liver, suggesting that the organ itself may play a crucial role. In addition, the changes in brain and gill D3 suggest that these enzymes constitute a fine tuning mechanism for regulation of T3 availability at the cellular or plasma levels, respectively.
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Van der Geyten, S., Mol, K., Pluymers, W. et al. Changes in plasma T3 during fasting/refeeding in tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) are mainly regulated through changes in hepatic type II iodothyronine deiodinase. Fish Physiology and Biochemistry 19, 135–143 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007790527748
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007790527748