6.6 Hormones, homeostasis and reproduction Flashcards
What do cells in the pancreas respond to?
Changes in blood glucose levels
What is initiated when glucose concentration deviates substantially from a set point of aobut 5mmolL-1?
Homoestatic mechanisms mediated by the pancreatic hormones insulin and glucagon are initiated
How many glands in the pancreas?
The pancreas is effectively two glands in one organ
What tissue is most of the pancreas?
Exocrine glandular tissue
What do exocrine glandular tissue from the pancreas do?
They secrete digestive enzymes into ducts leading to the small intestine
What is the small region of tissue that makes up the pancreas alongside exocrine glandular tissue?
There are small regions of endocrine tissue called islets of Langerhans dotted through the pancreas
What do islets of Langerhans do?
They secrete hormones directly into the blood stream
What are the two cell types in the islets of Langerhans that secrete different hormones?
Alpha cells and Beta cells
What do alpha cells in the islets of Langerhans synthesis and secrete?
They synthesize and secrete glucagon if the blood glucose level falls below the set point
What does glucagon stimulate?
This hormone stimulates breakdown of glycogen into glucose in liver cells and its release into the blood, increasing the concentration
What do Beta cells in the pancreas synthesize and secrete?
They synthesize insulin and secret it when the blood glucose concentration rises above the set point
What does insulin stimulate?
- uptake of glucose by various tissues, particularly skeletal muscle and liver
- conversion of glucose to glycogen
What does insulin do?
Reduces blood glucose concentratioin
How are most hormones broken down?
Broken down by the cells it acts upon, so its secretion must be ongoing
What is diabetes?
Is the condition where a person has consistently elevated blood glucose levels, leading to the presence of glucose in the urine
What are the consequences of diabetes?
- Continuously elevatedglucose damages tissues, particularly their proteins
- Impairs water reabsorption from urine while it is forming in the kidney
-> resulting in an increase in the volume of urine and body dehydration
When should a person get tesed for diabetes?
If they need to urinate more frequently, is constantly thirsty, feels tired and craves sugary drinks
What are the two types of diabetes?
Type I and Type II
What is type I diabetes?
aka early-onset diabetes
* inability to produce sufficient quantities of insulin
* It is an autoimmune disease arising from the destruction of beta cells in the islets of Langerhans by the body’s own immune system
* causes are still being researched
Why is type I diabetes an autoimmune disease?
the body’s own immune system is detroying the beta cells in the islets of Langerhans
Why is type I diabetes an autoimmune disease?
the body’s own immune system is detroying the beta cells in the islets of Langerhans
What is type II diabetes?
aka late-onset diabetes
* inability to process or respond to insulin because of a deficiency of insulin receptors or glucose transporters on target cells
* Onset is slow
* Disease may go unnotices for many years
* Causes are not well understood
* Main risk factors are sugary, fatty diets, prolonged obesity due to habitual overeating and lack of exercise, together with genetic factors that affect energy metabolism
What is the current treatment of type I diabetes?
- regularly testing the blood glucose concentration and injecting insulin when it is too hight or likely to become too high
- Injections are often done before a meal to prevent a peak of blood glucose as the food is digested and absorbed
Why is timing of the insulin injection important?
Insulin molecules do not last long in the blood
What are some better treatments being developed for type I diabetes?
- Using implanted devices that can release exogenous insulin into the blood as and when it is necesary
- A permanent cure may be achievable by coaxing stem cells to become fully functional replacement beta cells
How is type II diabetes treated?
- adjusting the diet to reduce the peaks and troughs of blood glucose
- Small amounts of food should be eaten frequently rather than infrequent large meals
- foods with high sugar content should be avoided
- Starchy food should only be eaten if it has a low glycemic index, indicating that it is digested slowly
- High fibre foods should be included to slow the digestion of other foods
- Strenous exercise and weight loss are beneficial as they improve insulin uptake and action
What is the hormone thyroxin secreted by?
the thyroid gland in the neck
Why is the chemical structure of thyroxin unusual?
The thyroxin molecule contains four atoms of iodine
A deficiency of what prevents the synthesis of thyroxin?
Prolonged deficiency of iodine as the thyroxin molecule contains four atoms of iodine
What are the targets of the hormone thyroxin?
All cells in the body are targets.
Thyroxin regulates the body’s metabolic rate, so all cells need to respond but the most metabolically active such as liver, muscle and brain are the main targets
What does higher metabolic rate support?
More protein synthesis and growth and it increases the generation of body heat
What does thyroxin regulate?
metabolic rate and help control body temperature
In a person with normal physiology, how does thyroxin work?
Cooling triggers increased thyroxin secretion by the thyroid gland which stimulates heat production so body temperature rises
What is it called when there is a thyroxin deficiency?
Hypothyroidism
What are the symptoms of hypothyroidism?
- lack of energy and feeling tired all the time
- forgetfulness and depression
- weight gain despite loss of appetite as less glucose and gat are being broken down to release energy by cell respiration
- feeling cold all the time because less heat is being generated
- constipation because contractions of muscle in the wall of the guy slow down
- impaired brain development in children
What is leptin?
A protein hormone
What is leptin secreted by?
Adipose cells (fat storage cells)
What is the concentration of leptin the blood controlled by?
food intake and the amount of adipose tissue in the body
What is the target of leptin?
group of cells in the hypothalamus of the brain that contribute to the control of appetite
What does leptin bind to?
Binds to receptors in the membrane of the group of cells in the hypothalamus
What happens when adipose tissue increase?
blood leptin concentration rise, causing long-term appetite inhibition and reduced food intake
What would you expect of leptin concentration of an obese person?
Most obese humans have exceptionally high blood leptin concentrations
Why may an obese person not respond to leptin?
The target cells in the hypothalamus may have become resistant to lepin so fail to respond to it, even at high concentrations
Whats the consequence of an obese person not responding to leptin?
- Appetite is not inhibited and food intake is excessive
- More adipose tissue develops, causing a rise in blood leptin concentration but the leptin resistance prevents inhibition of appetite
- Injection of extra leptin inevitably fails to control obesity if the cause is leptin resistance (just as insulin injections alone are effective with early-stage type II diabetes)
What is a very small proportion of cases of obesity in humans due to?
Mutations in the genes for leptin synthesis or its various receptors on target cells
How do people with obesity due to mutations respond to leptin injections?
Significant weight loss
Why is leptin not suitable in children and young adults?
It has shown to affect the development and functioning of the reproductive system
What are circadian rhythms?
rhythms in behaviour that fits into a 24-hour cycle
Humans can continue in continious light or darkness because an internal system is used to control the rhythm
What do circadian rhythms in humans depend?
two groups of cells in the hypothalamus called the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN)
What do the cells from the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) do?
Set a daily rhythm even if grown in culture with no external cues about the time of day
In the brain:
* control the secretion of the hormone melatonin by the pineal gland
What is melatonin secreted by?
Pineal gland
When does melatonin secretion increase and decrease?
Increase in the evening and drops to a low level at down
Blood concentrations rise and fall rapidly in response to these changes in secretion
What feelings are caused with high and low melatonin levels?
High: feelings of drowsiness and promote sleep through the night
Low: encourage waking at the end of the night