3.3 Disorders of Vasopressin Flashcards
Why do you get polyuria, nocturia, and polydipsia in diabetes mellitus?
What is vasopressin also known as?
Anti-diuretic hormone
What is diuresis?
production of urine
What are the main physiological actions of vasopressin?
Stimulation of water reabsorption in the renal collecting duct via the V2 receptors in the kidney (this concentrates urine)
Vasoconstriction via the V1 receptor
Stimulates ACTH release from anterior pituitary (* main stimulus of ACTH release from anterior pituitary is CRH, which is hypothalamic factor)
What organ is the posterior pituitary anatomically continuous with?
Hypothalamus
*Neuronal cell bodies cluster together in the hypothalamus forming the nuclei, the stalk of these neurones flow down the hypothalamus into the posterior pituitary.
How does the posterior pituitary differentiate from the anterior pituitary?
The posterior pituitary is made up of neural tissue
What hormones are released from the posterior pituitary?
Arginine Vasopressin - AVP
Oxytocin
How does vasopressin concentrate urine?
Vasopressin in the plasma
Crosses the basolateral membrane
Binds to V2 receptor
Results in intracellular signalling cascade (G protein, Adenylate cyclase, cAMP, protein kinase A)
which results in the insertion of aquaporin-2 (water channels) on the tubular luminal membrane .
This results in increased water uptake from the tubular lumen across the concentration gradient, then out aquaporin 3 channels into the plasma.
NET = more reabsorption of water from the urine into the blood stream
How can we spot the posterior pituitary on MRI?
Posterior pituitary bright spot (on sagittal section MRI)
Not visualised in all healthy individuals
What are the two types of stimuli for vasopressin release?
osmotic and non osmotic
What is the osmotic stimulus which results in vasopressin release, and how is it detected?
Increase in concentration of plasma (increase in plasma osmolarity)
This is detected by osmoreceptors
What is the non - osmotic stimulus which results in vasopressin release, and how is it detected?
Decrease in atrial pressure
Detected by atrial stretch receptors
What two tissues sense plasma osmolarity?
Organum vasculosum
Subfornical organ
What are the organum vasculosum and the subfornical organ?
nuclei which sit around the 3rd ventricle (circumventricular)
neurons project to the supraoptic nucleus - site of vassopressinergic neurons
sense and respond to changes in plasma osmolarity
What is the systemic circulation?
The circuit of vessels which provides functional blood supply to all body tissue.
Why can the organum vasculosum and subfornical organ responsed to changes in the systemic circulation?
Because they don’t have a blood brain barrier and are highly vascular.
- can talk directly to vasopressinergic neurons
How do osmoreceptors regulate vasopressin
e.g an increase in extracellular Na+
This would cause water to exit the osmoreceptor cell
The osmoreceptor would therefore shrink
Which increases osmoreceptor firing
Resulting in AVP release from hypothalamic neurones and supraoptic nucleus
What do atrial stretch receptors do?
Detect pressure in the right atrium
How do atrial stretch receptors affect vasopressin release?
Inhibit vasopressin release via vagal afferents to hypothalamus
Why is vasopressin released following a haemorrhage?
Reduction in circulating volume means less stretch of the atrial receptors, so less inhibition of vasopressin.
Vasopressin release results in increased water in the kidneys via V2 receptors (some restoration of blood volume)
Vasoconstriction caused via V1 receptors (tightening up of vasculature helps increase blood pressure)
*renin-aldo system will also be important, sensed by JG apparatus and other hormones also released
What is the physiological response to water deprivation? (6)
- Increased plasma omsolarity (concentration inc.)
- Stimulation of osmoreceptors
- Increased AVP release (+thirst)
- Increased water reabsorption from collecting duct
- Reduced urine volume, increase in urine osmolarity
- Reduction in plasma osmolarity
What are the clinical symptoms are diabetes insipidus?
Polyuria - excessive peeing
Nocturia - having to wake up in the night to pee
Thirst - often extreme
Polydipsia - thirst
What is the most common cause of polyuria, nocturia, and polydipsia?
Diabetes mellitus - diabetes insipidus is much more rare
Why do you get polyuria, nocturia, and polydipsia in diabetes insipidus?
due to problems with arginine vasopressin