Method Article

Generation of a Mouse Spontaneous Autoimmune Thyroiditis Model

DOI:

10.3791/64609

March 17th, 2023

In This Article

Erratum Notice

Important: There has been an erratum issued for this article. View Erratum Notice

Summary

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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

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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

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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 ....

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Protocol

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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.
  2. When preparing the stock solution of NaI in water, weigh 2.5 g of the compound and dissolve it in 50 mL of sterile, pure water under vortexing to giv....

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Results

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The histological changes were strikingly different in female and males, the duration of iodine intake, and the solution of NaI. As shown in Figure 1, ~10% of NOD.H-2h4 mice developed SAT even without iodine induction at the age of 24 weeks, and all the mice eventually developed thyroiditis. When given regular water, there was no significant difference in the histological changes between males and females. The addition of NaI to the drinking water accelerated the development of thyroiditis. I.......

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Discussion

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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.......

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Disclosures

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All the authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Acknowledgements

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Mouse monoclonal antibodies to human TPO (used as positive controls) were provided by Dr. P. Carayon and Dr. J. Ruf (Marseille, France). The authors thank all the participants in this study and the members of our research team. This work was in part supported by grants from the Postdoctoral Sustentation Fund of West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China (2020HXBH057) and the Sichuan Province Science and Technology Support Program (Project No. 2021YFS0166)

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Materials

List of materials used in this article
NameCompanyCatalog NumberComments
Butorphanol tartrateSupelcoL-044 
Dexmedetomidine hydrochloride Sigma-Aldrich145108-58-3
Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) wellSigma-AldrichM9410-1CS
Ethanolmacklin64-17-5 
Freund’s Adjuvant, Complete Sigma-AldrichF5881 
Freund’s Adjuvant, Incomplete Sigma-AldrichF5506
Goat anti-Mouse IgG invitrogenSA5-10275 
Midazolam solution SupelcoM-908 
Mouse/rat thyroxine (T4) ELISACalbiotechDKO045
Paraformaldehydemacklin30525-89-4 
Propidium iodideSigma-AldrichP4864
Sodium IodineSigma-Aldrich 7681-82-5
ThyroglobulinSigma-Aldrich T1126
Thyroglobulin  ELISA KitThermo ScientificEHTGX5
TSH ELISACalbiotechDKO200
Xylenemacklin1330-20-7

References

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  1. Ralli, M., et al. Hashimoto's thyroiditis: An update on pathogenic mechanisms, diagnostic protocols, therapeutic strategies, and potential malignant transformation. Autoimmunity Reviews. 19 (10), 102649(2020).
  2. Zhang, Q. Y., et al.

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Erratum

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Formal Correction: Erratum: Generation of a Mouse Spontaneous Autoimmune Thyroiditis Model
Posted by JoVE Editors on 6/05/2023. Citeable Link.

An erratum was issued for: Generation of a Mouse Spontaneous Autoimmune Thyroiditis Model. The Protocol section was updated.

Step 3.1.1 of the Protocol was updated from:

After the induction, anesthetize the mice with a volume of 0.01 mL/g anesthetic by intraperitoneal injection. Prepare the anesthetic by mixing midazolam (40 µg/100 µL for sedation), medetomidine (7.5 µg/100 µL for sedation), and butorphanol tartrate (50 µg/100 µL for analgesia) in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS).

to

After the induction, anesthetize the mice with a volume of 0.01 mL/g anesthetic by intraperitoneal injection. Prepare the anesthetic by mixing midazolam (40 µg/100 µL for sedation), medetomidine (7.5 µg/100 µL for sedation), and butorphanol tartrate (50 µg/100 µL for analgesia) in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS).
NOTE: The specific concentrations of each component in the anesthesia mixture are: midazolam 13.33µg/100µL, medetomidine 2.5µg/100µL, and butorphanol 16.7µg/100µL. For specific dosages used in mice, the doses are: midazolam 4µg/g, medetomidine 0.75µg/g, and butorphanol 1.67µg/g. Anesthesia depth was confirmed when the mouse's limb muscles relaxed, the whiskers had no touch response, and there was loss of  pedal reflex.

Step 3.1.2 of the Protocol was updated from:

After the mice are anesthetized, cut off their whiskers with ophthalmic scissors to prevent blood from flowing down the whiskers and causing hemolysis. Fix the mouse with one hand and press the skin of the eye to make the eyeball protrude. Quickly remove the eyeball and draw 1 mL of blood into the microcentrifuge tube via a capillary tube.

to

After the mice are anesthetized, prepare the peripheral blood samples, by fixing the mouse with one hand and pressing the eye skin to protrude the eyeball. Then, insert the capillary tube into the inner corner of the eye and penetrate at a 30-45 degree angle to the plane of the nostril. Apply pressure while gently rotating the capillary tube. Blood will flow into the tube via capillary action.

Step 3.2.1 of the Protocol was updated from:

Dissect the chest wall to expose the heart, cut open the right atrium, and infuse saline into the left ventricle by an intravenous infusion needle attached to a 20 mL syringe until the tissue turns white.

to

Humanely euthanize the animal according to the institutional policies. Then, dissect the chest wall to expose the heart, cut open the right atrium, and infuse saline into the left ventricle by an intravenous infusion needle attached to a 20 mL syringe until the tissue turns white.

Tags

Hashimoto s ThyroiditisMouse ModelNOD H 2h4 MouseIodine InductionThyroglobulin AntibodyThyroid Peroxidase AntibodyLymphocyte InfiltrationThyroid Tissue Isolation

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