Adrenal Gland

Question 1

Whats are the sections of the Adrenal gland?

Answer 1

Adrenal Medulla (25%) - Neuroendicrine

Adrenal Cortex (75%) - True Endocrine

Question 2

What does the Adrenal Medulla Secrete?

Answer 2

Mainly Epinephrine (Adrenalin)
Norepinephrine
Dopamine

Question 3

What does the Adrenal Cortex Secrete?

Answer 3

Minearlocorticoids (Aldosterone) - Regulation of Sodium and Potassium 
Glucocorticoids (Cortisol) - Maintaining Plasma Glucose
Sex Steroids (Testosterone)

Question 4

What are the zones of the Adrenal Gland?

Answer 4

Adrenal medula (caticoamines)
Zona Reticularis (Sex hormones)
Zona Fascicilata (Glucocorticoids)
Zona Glomerulosa (Aldosterone)

Question 5

What is the classification of all adrenal hormones?

Answer 5

Steroid Hormones

Starts with cholesterol and then the different zones contain different enzymes which dictate which Hormone is produced

Question 6

What are the receptors for Cortisol called?

Answer 6

Cytoplasmic glucocorticoid receptors

Question 7

How are glucocorticoids used to reduce inflammation?

Answer 7

Switch off the proteins which code for the enzymes which are involved in the inflammatory pathway (nitric oxide, Synthase & Cycloxigenase)

Question 8

When are the characteristic peak of cortisol?

Answer 8

Morning - Increase in physiological stress with standing up (Cardio and Balance)

Question 9

How does cortisol help with physiological stresses?

2

Answer 9

Increase in Blood Glucose

• Helps protect the body/brain from hypoglycaemia
• Permissive action on Glucagon
• Stimulates Gbuconeogensis with enzymes in the liver
• Stimulates Proteolysis (for gluconeogenic substrates)
• Stimulates Lipolysis (fatty acids for most tissues)
• Decreases insulin sensitivity in Muscle and Fat

Increase in Blood Pressure

• Alpha receptor effect
• Increases blood pressure

Question 10

Types of Cushing’s disease?

2

Answer 10

Syndrome - Tumour on the adrenal cortex secreting Cortisol
Disease (more common) - Tumour on the anterior pituitary secreting ACTH

Both result in Hypersecreion of cortisol

Question 11

What are the symptoms of Cushing’s

Answer 11

Fat deposition:
 - Moon face
 - Posterior neck
 - Trunk 
Wasting of extremities 
 - Skeletal muscle breakdown

Question 12

What is Addisons disease?

Answer 12

Autoimmune disease causing hypo-secretion of all adrenal hormones
Lack of negative feedback to pituitary and ACTH (same precursor for melanocytes is over expressed)

Question 13

What are the signs of Addisons disease?

Answer 13

Hyper pigmentation of skin (negative feedback to ACTH)

Hypotension (loss of permissive effect of cortisol on adrenoreceptors and loss of Aldosrosone (Na retention)