Mammalian birth versus arousal from hibernation: thyroid hormones, common regulators of metabolic transition?

Abstract

Mammalian birth and arousal from hibernation are both endogenously regulated transitional events, characterized by an increase in metabolic rate (MR) and onset of thermogenesis. Thyroid hormones (THs) are known to be key regulators of metabolic and thermogenic activity. To explore the similarities and differences in the role of THs during mammalian birth as opposed to arousal from hibernation, a comprehensive review is given of the levels and kinetics of serum thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), thyroxine (T₄), triiodothyronine (T₃), and reverse triiodothyronine (rT₃) in hibernating mammals upon arousal and in mammalian neonates at birth. The results for arousal are more heterogeneous than those for birth, reflecting different hibernation patterns between species as well as varying sampling times and methods. Overall, serum TRH concentrations were found to be decreased, TSH unchanged, and T₄, T₃, and rT₃ mostly increased. In contrast, the data for mammalian birth show a marked increase in serum levels of TRH, TSH, T₄, and T₃, particularly in human neonates, with inconsistent results for rT₃. In conclusion, both during arousal from hibernation and mammalian birth, THs play a critical yet not exclusive role in metabolic transition. In hibernators, the metabolic effects of THs appear to be mediated by the conversion rates in target tissues rather than by their serum levels alone, suggesting a sustained readiness for arousal. This contrasts with mammalian newborns, who at the beginning of their autonomous life experience the first activation of their thyroid gland, resulting in a transitory "hyperthyroid" state.