Follicular, parafollicular and mast cells in mouse thyroid gland after antithyroid drug application
Abstract
Forty-eight male mice BALB/c strain were divided in 6 groups with 8 animals in each. The experimental groups with 4 animals were given 1.2% NaClO4 in the drinking water for 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 or 64 days respectively. The following stereological variables have been estimated at objective magnification x63: volume density of follicular cells, colloid, parafollicular cells, mast cells and other interstitium; absolute (total) volumes, absolute numbers and average volumes of follicular, parafollicular and mast cells. Average tangent diameters of parafollicular and mast cell nuclei were measured using an ocular micrometer. The absolute volumes, expressed as a ratio of the experimental to the control values, shows a similar increase for all three cell lines between the 4th and 32nd day. After this time the volume ratio for mast cells shows a further sharp increase, for follicular cells a moderate increase, and for parafollicular cells a decrease. The volume increase in all three cell lines is a result of their hyperplasia and not of hypertrophy. An initiating role should be ascribed to the mast cells because their reaction occurs at the earliest time and is in average the most expressed.