Thyroid hormone and tissue repair: new tricks for an old hormone?

Abstract

Although the role of thyroid hormone during embryonic development has long been recognized, its role later in adult life remains largely unknown. However, several lines of evidence show that thyroid hormone is crucial to the response to stress and to poststress recovery and repair. Along this line, TH administration in almost every tissue resulted in tissue repair after various injuries including ischemia, chemical insults, induction of inflammation, or exposure to radiation. This novel action may be of therapeutic relevance, and thyroid hormone may constitute a paradigm for pharmacologic-induced tissue repair/regeneration.

Figure 1

Langendorff recordings of left ventricular pressure (LVP) from isolated rat hearts subjected to zero-flow global ischemia followed by reperfusion (a) and hearts subjected only to stabilization (b). Triiodothyronine (T3) administration at reperfusion improves postischemic recovery of function, whereas T3 during stabilization does not affect contractile function.