THE FINE STRUCTURE OF THYROID TUMOURS INDUCED BY LOW IODINE DIET IN RATS

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Abstract
Ultrastructural changes in thyroid tumors induced in rats by low iodine diet were studied with the electron microscope. Concurrently a study was carried out with the light microscope. The findings show that the changes induced by chronic iodine deficiency are of a complex nature and develop by stages. The earliest changes consist of an increased size and number of the secretory droplets which tend towards the basal pole. The most marked changes however are seen to appear at the level of the endoplasmic reticulum and consist of an accentuated expansion of the ergastoplasmic vesicles. To a lesser degree, changes in ultrastructures occur at the level of the mitochondria and of the Golgi apparatus. Iodine is not only the raw material necessary to the synthesis of thyroid hormones but also an important element in maintaining the trophicity of the thyroid cell.