FURTHER STUDIES ON THE CHEMICAL NATURE OF COMPOUNDS WHICH INHIBIT THE FUNCTION OF THE THYROID GLAND11

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Abstract
IN AN EARLIER STUDY 106 compounds were tested in rats for their capacity to interferewith the endocrine function of the thyroid gland. Each substance was administered to young rats bymixing it withthe food or drinking water in various concentrations. At the end of ten days the thyroid glands were examined grossly and microscopically for evidence of hypertrophy and hyperplasia,and the relative activities of the compounds were then roughly compared on the basis of the minimal dose required to produce a noticeable effect (Astwood, 1943). Although this assay method was sufficiently reliable to detect wide differences in activity and to form the basis for the selection of compounds such as thiouracil for clinical trial, it suffered the handicap of subjective criteria and no quantitative dosage-response relationship could be established. A more accurate and reproducible method based upon the weight and iodine concentration of the thyroid gland (Astwood & Bissell,1944) has been used in the present investigation.