Abstract
IT is now established that the thymus plays a critical role in a variety of immunological functions. Evidence that the thymus can also function as an endocrine gland has mainly been derived from immunological investigations1,2. Because endocrine glands do not function independently, it is likely that the thymus is involved in a number of endocrine functions and some experimental data support such an assumption. Thus, hypothyroidism and persistence of the foetal zone in the adrenals is observed in congenitally athymic nude mice3 and degranulation of pituitary eosinophil cells occurred following neonatal thymectomy in mice4.
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References
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BESEDOVSKY, H., SORKIN, E. Thymus involvement in female sexual maturation. Nature 249, 356–358 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1038/249356a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/249356a0
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