Effect of Ecklonia kurome extract on thyroid hormone disorder in rats.

Purpose: To investigate the effect of Ecklonia kurome extract (EKE) on thyroid hormone concentrations in male mice. Methods: Mice were administered EKE by gastric intubation for 15 days. PTU or L-T4 was set as positive control. Twenty-four hours after the last administration, all animals were sacrificed by cervical dislocation. Blood was collected and serum samples assayed for T3 and T4. Furthermore, the liver was removed for biochemical analysis. Results: T3 and T4 serum levels in mice decreased after the administration of EKE. The relative potency of EKE was calculated in terms of percent increase or decrease in thyroid hormones. Compared with the control value, the decrease in T3 concentration by a high dose of EKE was approximately 64.32%. Compared with the control group, hepatic LPO decreased (p < 0.01) while superoxide dismutase (SOD, p < 0.01) and catalase (CAT, p < 0.01) activities were significantly increased by the high dose of EKE, thus indicating its anti-peroxidative role. Conclusion: This suggests that EKE may be useful for the treatment of hyperthyroidism, but further studies are required to ascertain this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]