Establishment of Animal Model with Iodine and Iron Deficiency in Rats

Objective To establish a rat model with iodine and iron deficiency by controlling the dietary iodine and iron.Methods Twenty-two healthy SPF/VAF weaning male SD rats were randomly divided into control group(fed with modified AOAC feedstuff,in which iodine content was 280 μg/kg,and iron content was 50 mg/kg) and model group(fed with modified iodine and iron deficient AOAC feedstuff,in which iodine and iron content were 66 μg/kg and 15 mg/kg) by body weight,and 11 in each group.After 4 weeks of treatment,the body weight and thyroid glands weight were determined,and the index of thyroid gland was calculated.Urine iodine,thyroid hormone in the serum,hemoglobin concentration,serum iron and total iron binding capacity(TIBC) were determined.Results Rats in the model group showed pale skin,sparse rough fur.Compared with the control group,the body weight,the urine iodine,hemoglobin concentration,serum iron concentration and the free T3 and T4 of the rats in the model group were significantly lower(P0.05) and the weight and organ index of thyroid glands,TIBC and the ratio of T3/T4 was significantly higher(P0.05).TSH of the rats in the model group showed increasing trend.Conclusion This model has the characteristics of both iodine deficiency and iron deficiency at the same time,so it is a successful rat model with combined iodine and iron deficiency established by controlling dietary iodine and iron.