Changes of 3H-thymidine incorporation into DNA and thymidine kinase activity in rat thyroid lobes, following their exposure to neuropeptide Y.

The effects of neuropeptide Y (NPY) on 3H-thymidine incorporation into DNA of rat thyroid lobes in a 4 h incubation, and on the activity of thymidine kinase (TK) in the homogenates of thyroid lobes in vitro, as well as the influence of thyrotropin (TSH), applied alone or together with NPY, were investigated. The effects of NPY were dependent on the concentration used. Neuropeptide Y, in the lowest and the highest concentrations, decreased both the incorporation of 3H-thymidine to DNA and TK activity, and when used in intermediate concentrations NPY did not significantly affect the processes examined. Thyrotropin decreased TK activity and revealed a tendency towards lowering 3H-thymidine uptake, the latter effect being not statistically significant. NPY (10(-10) M) used together with TSH, produced an increase of 3H-thymidine incorporation into DNA, when compared with controls and the TSH-exposed group. Following the joint exposure to NPY and TSH, TK activity declined.