Triiodothyronine accelerates maturation of bile acid metabolism in infant baboons

We tested the hypothesis that triiodothyronine (T3) treatment accelerates the early postnatal maturation of bile acid metabolism in the baboon. Infant baboons were implanted with 21-day-release pellets containing T3 (n = 12), a placebo pellet (n = 6), or no pellet (n = 13). T3 treatment increased plasma T3 concentrations from 3.0 to 5.0 nmol/l between birth and 15 wk of age. At 15 wk of age, bile acid pool sizes, fractional turnover rates (FTR), and synthetic rates were determined by an isotope-dilution method with 3H- and 14C-labeled cholic (CA) and chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA). T3 treatment increased CA pool size by 47% and CA synthetic rate by 37% but did not significantly affect CDCA pool size or synthetic rate. Consequently CA-to-CDCA pool size ratio (0.77 vs. 0.42) and biliary CA-to-CDCA concentration ratio (0.88 vs. 0.46) were higher in the T3-treated infants than in combined placebo-treated and nontreated control infants. T3 treatment did not affect the bile acid glycine-to-taurine conjugate ratio, CA FTR, or CDCA pool size, FTR, and synthetic rate. T3 treatment lowered plasma high-density lipoprotein fraction 2 and 3 cholesterol concentrations by 22 and 40%, respectively. T3 treatment also increased hepatic low-density lipoprotein receptor mRNA levels but did not affect plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations. We conclude that modest elevation of plasma T3 during the preweaning period increases the CA-to-CDCA ratio at the end of the preweaning period to near adult values.