Effect of fipronil on the thyroid gland transcriptome in the rat

Fipronil is a widely-used broad-spectrum phenylpyrazole insecticide. It has been shown that fipronil increases the hepatic metabolism of thyroid hormone in the rat, which may induce compensatory mechanisms at the level of the thyroid gland itself. Here, we studied the effect of fipronil on the transcriptome of the thyroid gland in the rat. Adult (2- to 3-month-old) female Wistar rats were treated per os with fipronil (3 mg/kg) or the vehicle alone for 14 days. The transcriptome of their thyroid gland was analyzed using Agilent 4x44K microarrays. Thyroid gland gene expression was measured from female Wistar rats treated with vehicle (n = 10) or fipronil (n = 10) using a dye switch design.