Generation of a Mouse Spontaneous Autoimmune Thyroiditis Model

Summary

Several types of animal models of Hashimoto's thyroiditis have been established, as has spontaneous autoimmune thyroiditis in the NOD mouse. H-2h4 mice are a simple and reliable model for HT induction. This article describes this approach and evaluates the pathological process for a better understanding of the SAT murine model.

Abstract

In recent years, Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) has become the most common autoimmune thyroid disease. It is characterized by lymphocyte infiltration and the detection of specific serum autoantibodies. Although the potential mechanism is still not clear, the risk of Hashimoto's thyroiditis is related to genetic and environmental factors. At present, there are several types of models of autoimmune thyroiditis, including experimental autoimmune thyroiditis (EAT) and spontaneous autoimmune thyroiditis (SAT).

EAT in mice is a common model for HT, which is immunized with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) combined with thyroglobulin (Tg) or supplemented with complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA). The EAT mouse model is widely established in many types of mice. However, the disease progression is more likely associated with the Tg antibody response, which may vary in different experiments.

SAT is also widely used in the study of HT in the NOD.H-2h4 mouse. The NOD.H2h4 mouse is a new strain obtained from the cross of the nonobese diabetic (NOD) mouse with the B10.A(4R), which is significantly induced for HT with or without feeding iodine. During the induction, the NOD.H-2h4 mouse has a high level of TgAb accompanied by lymphocyte infiltration in the thyroid follicular tissue. However, for this type of mouse model, there are few studies to comprehensively evaluate the pathological process during the induction of iodine.

A SAT mouse model for HT research is established in this study, and the pathologic changing process is evaluated after a long period of iodine induction. Through this model, researchers can better understand the pathological development of HT and screen new treatment methods for HT.

Introduction

Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT), also known as chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis or autoimmune thyroiditis, was first reported in 1912¹. HT is characterized by lymphocyte infiltration and damage to thyroid follicular tissue. Laboratory tests are mainly manifested as increasing thyroid-specific antibodies, including anti-thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb) and anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb)². The incidence of HT is in the range of 0.4%-1.5%, accounting for 20%-25% of all thyroid diseases, and this value has increased in recent years³. In addition, a large number of studies have reported that HT ....

Protocol

The protocol described below was approved by the care and use guidelines established by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Sichuan University.

1. Preparation

1. House all mice in specific pathogen-free conditions under 12 h light-dark cycles (beginning at 07:00 a.m. and 07:00 p.m., respectively). Maintain the room temperature at 22 °C. Change the bedding materials every week. Provide adequate quantities of standard rodent chow and water.

Discussion

HT occurs due to an autoimmune system disorder caused by lymphocytes infiltrating the thyroid gland, further impairing thyroid function, while producing thyroid-specific antibodies. Serum TSH, TgAb, and TPOAb levels in HT patients are significantly elevated²⁷. At present, two main kinds of murine models are widely used to study the etiology of autoimmune thyroiditis: EAT and SAT²⁹. EAT mice are mostly immunized using proteins and adjuvants to create an abnormal immune envir.......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Butorphanol tartrate	Supelco	L-044
Dexmedetomidine hydrochloride	Sigma-Aldrich	145108-58-3
Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) well	Sigma-Aldrich	M9410-1CS
Ethanol	macklin	64-17-5
Freund’s Adjuvant, Complete	Sigma-Aldrich	F5881
Freund’s Adjuvant, Incomplete	Sigma-Aldrich	F5506
Goat anti-Mouse IgG	invitrogen	SA5-10275
Midazolam solution	Supelco	M-908
Mouse/rat thyroxine (T4) ELISA	Calbiotech	DKO045
Paraformaldehyde	macklin	30525-89-4
Propidium iodide	Sigma-Aldrich	P4864
Sodium Iodine	Sigma-Aldrich	7681-82-5
Thyroglobulin	Sigma-Aldrich	T1126
Thyroglobulin  ELISA Kit	Thermo Scientific	EHTGX5
TSH ELISA	Calbiotech	DKO200
Xylene	macklin	1330-20-7