Mouse Thyroid Gland Changes in Aging: Implication of Galectin-3 and Sphingomyelinase

Figure 2

Thyrotropin (TSH) and thyrotropin receptor (TSHR) in the thyroid gland from young and old mice. (a) Immunohistochemical expression of TSH. Red arrows indicate the staining in thyrocytes, and black arrows indicate the staining in interfollicular spaces. In the thyroid of young mice, a low positivity is evident in thyrocytes and it is absent in interfollicular spaces. Strong staining is seen in the majority of follicles either in thyrocytes or in colloid of old mice. The positivity of staining was measured as the percentage of total area (follicles and interfollicular spaces). Data represent the mean ± S.D. of three independent experiments performed in duplicate. Significance, , versus young mice. 40x magnification. (b) Fluorescence immunostaining of thyrotropin TSHR. The intensity of florescence is higher in old animal than in young animals. Moreover, the fluorescence has a disordered localization in the thyrocytes, within the follicles, and in the interfollicular spaces as shown by arrows. 20x magnification.

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