The effects of triiodothyronine (T,) on cell morphology were examined in cerebral hemisphere and cerebellar astrocyte cultures obtained from normal and hypothyroid neonatal rats. T,-treatment induced morphological changes in astrocytes from cerebral hemispheres. This morphological effect was produced earlier if astrocytes were treated with conditioned medium obtained from cerebral hemisphere astrocyte cultures previously exposed to 50 nM T,. T3 or conditioned medium-treatment produced faster morphological changes in hypothyroid rat cerebral hemisphere astrocyte monolayers. Cerebellar astrocytes from normal brain did not respond to thyroid hormone with morphological changes, but proliferated after T,-treatment. However, hypothyroid cerebellar astrocyte cultures exhibited morphological changes, differently than normal cells.
We verified that T, may induce astrocyte secretion of factor@) that promotes morphological differentiation in cerebral hemisphere astroglial cultures and stimulates the proliferation of cerebellar astrocytes. Astrocytes obtained from hypothyroid animals were more sensitive to secreted factors than normal cells. These results emphasize the heterogeneity and the importance of glial cells to normal brain development and open new questions about thyroid hormone therapy in hypothyroidism.