CARDIAC INFLAMMATORY MARKERS, LIPID PROFILE AND TOTAL ANTIOXIDANT CAPACITY IN EXPERIMENTAL HYPOTHYROIDISM: A TIME- RESPONSE STUDY IN RATS.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effect of induced hypothyrodism on some cardiac inflammatory markers, lipid profile and total antioxidant capacity across two periods of time in rats. Methods: Twenty four adult male albino rats were divided randomly into four groups each of six at which group I served as control for one month; group II received 0.05 % PTU in water orally by gavage for one month, group III served as control for 2 months and group IV received 0.05 % PTU in water orally by gavage for 2 months. Results: hypothyroid state was confirmed by significant decrease of TT3, TT4 and significant increase of TSH in rats treated with 0.05 % PTU for one and two months compared with those of control groups. There was a significant decrease in HDL-C, and TAC with a significant increase in LDL-C, TC, TRIG, CPK, CRP, LDH and cTnI in serum of hypothyroid induced rats compared to control rats for one month, on the other side hypothyroid induced rats for two months expressed a pronounced highly significant decrease in HDL-C and TAC with a highly significant increase in LDL-C, TC, TRIG, CPK, CRP, LDH and cTnI compared to control rats for two months. Our results explain the thyroid activity variation in relation to cardiac markers and indices along time. To conclude, our results showed the occurrence of a state of oxidizing and inflammatory stress with interdependency upon the cardiac muscle in relation to the severity of hypothyroidism and using of some inflammatory markers specifically CRP and LDH can be such a useful alternative tool in diagnosis of cardiac affections. These data strengthened with the histopathological examination of the heart tissue which proves concurrent inflammation and fibrosis of the cardiomyocytes. KEYWORDS: PTU, Hypothyrodism, CRP, LDH, cTnI, CPK