Changes of serum thyroid hormone and plasma catecholamine of 16th and 17th Chinese Expeditioners in Antarctic environment

• Main Authors: Chengli, Xu, Guangjin, Zhu, Quanfu, Xue, Shuyu, Zu
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Polar Research Institute of China - PRIC 2003
• Subjects: Antarctic; The Antarctic; Austral; Great Wall Station; Advances in Polar Science; Antarc*; Antarctica; Polar Science
• Online Access: http://library.arcticportal.org/2262/; http://library.arcticportal.org/2262/1/A200302004.pdf

The serum thyroid hormone and plasma catecholamine were examined in 18 male and 2 female members of the Chinese Antarctic Expedition (who spent the 2000 or 2001 austral winter at the Great Wall Station). The changes of serum thyroid hormone i.e. total thyroxine (TT4) and free T4 (FT4), total triodothyronine (TT3) and freeT3 (FT3), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and plasma catecholamine, including norepinephrine (NE), epinephrine (E) and dopamine (DA), were investigated by Chemoluminescence Immunoassay (CLIA) and High Performance Liquid Chromatography with electrochemical detection (HPLC-ECD). Samples were taken at different time: (1) 1 day before departure to Antarctica (16th expedition 1999/12/09; 17th expedition 2000/12/06). (2) 1 day after returned to China after living 54 weeks in Antarctica (16th expedition 2000/12/25; 17th expedition 2001/12/25). Comparing the data of before departure and returned, results showed that there was a significant decrease in the contents of TT4 (P < 0.01) with no significant change in the content of TT3, FT3 and FT4. It was also found that the content of TSH increased significantly (P < 0.001); No significant changes of plasma NE and DA were found but the content of E decreased significantly (P < 0.001). The results indicated that the special Antarctic environment led to a restrain effect on the thyroid function and the level of plasma E in Antarctic expedition members. Both the thyroid and adrenal medulla system were associated in response to the Antarctic systemic stress.