Adrenals Flashcards
what foetal tissue does the adrenals come from
mesoderm
describe how the adrenals develop
SF1 expression is crucial in adrenal gland development.
Cells secreting high SF1 levels from the adrenal primordium.
Migrating neural crest cells enter the AP, forming the adrenal medulla.
Surrounding mesenchymal cells form a capsule.
what also develops at the urogenital ridge
the kidney
what are the two parts of the adrenal gland
cortex
medulla
what are the three layers of the adrenal cortex
zona glomerulusa
zona fasciularis
zona reticularis
describe the adrenal blood supply
- The blood flow in the adrenal gland starts on the outside and delivers blood to the plexus of blood vessels just under the capsule
- The blood flow goes through the adrenal cortex in to the medulla
Give an example of how the cortex and medulla are linked
- hormones in the cortex such as cortisol can have an effect on the adrenal medulla hormones
- for example cortisol produced in the cortex goes via the blood to the adrenal medulla
- this is where it upregualtes an enzyme that allows the adrenal medulla to produce adrenaline this helps the body to deal with stress
what is the medulla composed of
- groups and columns of chromaffin cells
- smaller islands of these are scattered through the cortex
what does a chromaffin cell look like
The cells are large, with large nuclei, and contain fine cytoplasmic granules which stain brown with chromium salts (and are therefore named phaeochromocytes).
what cells secrete what in the medulla
.- 80% of the medulla cells secrete adrenaline
- 20% noradrenaline,
- a few dopaminergic cells
what causes the adrenal cortex to grow
ACTH
Name some types of stress
- Starvation
- Infection
- Severe volume loss
why do the areas of the cortex look different
- they look different as they contain different amounts of fat
name some function of the adrenal cortex and medulla
- have mechanism to put the blood pressure up if they do it too much you get hypertension
- Response to infection leads to hypoerpfustion and hypotension – steroids dampen down response to inflammation
- Adrenal gland avoids starving to death – helps you breakdown fat, bone and protein in order to provide substrate for gluconeogenssi
what happens if you have too much cortisol versos what happens if you have too little cortisol
Too much cortisol
- immunosuppressed, hypertension, diabetes, breakdown muscle,
hypertrophy
Too little cortisol
– hypotensive, hypoglycaemia and wont respond to stresses
How do you provide multiple different hormones from the same organ
- uses cholesterol and depending on what cell type it allows cholesterol to cause factors that allow you to turn it into different hormones
describe the cortex layers and what allows them to produce what they produce
In the zona glomerulus – characterised by CYP11B2 means you can produced aldosterone
In the zona fasciculus characterised by CYP11B1 allows you to produce cortisol
In the zona reticularus you produce CYP17A1 to produce testosterone
Why are mineralocorticoids called mineralocorticoids
- named because on the effect that they have on minerals
What is an example of mineralocorticoids
aldosterone
Where are mineralocorticoids produced
- zona glomuerlusa
what stimulates release of aldosterone
- rise in potassium
- low blood pressure - therefore an increase in angiotensin II from RAAS and ACTH
What does aldosterone do
- increases sodium reabsorption
- therefore causes then increase in the reabsorption of water
- therefore increases the overall circulating volume
- causes potassium excretion
can lead to a metabolic alkalosis
How does aldosterone do what it does
- aldosterone binds to the mineralocorticoid receptor
- this increases sodium reabsorption - this happens as the mineralocorticoid inserts more sodium ENac channels in the collecting duct for absorption
- intercalated cells upregualte the sodium potassium ATPase
How does the renal system acts on aldosterone
- via the principal cell
- via the intercalated cell
what can aldosterone lead to
- metabolic alkalosis
What is the condition called for primary hyperaldosteronism
Conns syndrome
how much does primary hyperaldosteronisim cause hypertension
- Conn’s syndrome – 29% cause of hypertension
how is conns syndrome caused
- develop hypertension
- this is because there is suppressed plasma renin activity and increased aldosterone secretion
what is conns syndrome caused by
- Aldosterone producing adenoma
- Bilateral adrenal hyperplasia
How do you diagnose conns syndrome
Aldosterone:Renin Ratio
- measure the aldostoenre and renin ratio, if renin levels are 0 and aldosterone is high then conns syndrome
Saline suppression test
- the low fluid volume increases aldosterone production therefore if you give them a bag of saline which raises the fluid level and there aldosterone levels are still high then this is pathological
CT Adrenal
Adrenal venous sampling
- this is when you insert a catheter into the groin and measure the aldosterone level form each adrenal gland
Metomidate PET
How do you treat Conns syndrome
Spironolactone = Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist.