Role of age and sex in chronic thyroiditis in rats fed 3'-methyl-4-dimethylaminoazobenzene.

Inbred male and female Buffalo strain rats were started at 4, 8, 12, 24, or 52 weeks of age on 0.06% 3'-methyl-4-dimethylaminoazobenzene in a low-protein, choline-deficient diet. Eight-week-old males and females were the most susceptible to the development of chronic thyroiditis, but females were more susceptible than the males. Female rats of other ages developed a slightly higher incidence of thyroiditis than the male rats, the difference being most noticeable for rats 12 weeks old.