GOITROGENIC COMPOUNDS: PHARMACOLOGICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL EFFECTS

¹ Wyeth Institute of Applied Biochemistry and the Philadelphia General Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

1. Seventy-eight compounds were screened for goitrogenic action. Of these, 12 were found to be effective, but only thiouracil, propylthiouracil, 2-amino-thiazole and Dithane were found to be markedly active.

2. Of the four markedly goitrogenic compounds, propylthiouracil was the most effective, followed by thiouracil and Dithane. 2-Aminothiazole seemed to be less than half as active as thiouracil.

3. The weight of the thyroid gland, its iodine content and its microscopic appearance were all found to be equally useful criteria for goitrogenic action.

4. Many compounds caused general disturbances such as retardation or arrest in growth of the animals, atrophy or necrosis of the thymus and other lymphatic structures, and degeneration of various excretory and endocrine glands. It appears that these were phenomena of the general adaptation syndrome of Selye.

5. Evidence has been presented to show that the thymus is a most sensitive indicator of general disturbances of this kind, its weight being an excellent measure of the alarm reaction.

6. Using the weight of the thymus as an indicator of general disturbances, it was found that not much difference seemed to exist in the toxicity of the four most effective goitrogenic compounds administered in equally effective doses.

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