BETA-ADRENOCEPTOR ANTAGONIST THERAPY IN HYPERTHYROIDISM - EFFECTS ON LYMPHOCYTE METABOLIC-ACTIVITY AND THE RELATION BETWEEN AEROBIC AND ANAEROBIC METABOLISM IN LYMPHOCYTES

Thyroid hormones are of major importance for the regulation of metabol ic activity at the cell level in humans. An increased heat production has been demonstrated in lymphocytes from patients with hyperthyroidis m. However, the lymphocyte oxygen consumption was not increased, indic ating an increased dependency on anaerobic metabolism in lymphocytes e xposed to thyroid hormone excess. The present study focused on the eff ects of beta-adrenoceptor antagonists on the metabolic activity in lym phocytes from hyperthyroid patients. Lymphocytes from patients on trea tment with these drugs showed a heat production that was at a level si milar to that of cells from normal subjects and significantly lower th an lymphocytes from patients before treatment for hyperthyroidism and not on beta-blockers. Similarly, lymphocyte oxygen consumption was of the same order in hyperthyroid patients on beta-blockers as in euthyro id subjects. Treatment with beta-adrenoceptor antagonists seems to pre clude an increase in the metabolic activity of lymphocytes, otherwise present in hyperthyroid patients. These data suggest that beta-adrenoc eptor activity may play a role in the enhanced metabolic activity of t hese cells during thyroid hormone excess. A stimulating effect of thyr oid hormones on the sensitivity of adrenoceptors might thereby be of g reater importance than the calorigenic effect exerted