Bone Physiology Flashcards
What are dietary recommendations for calcium? And which patients require higher levels?
UK RDA is 700 mg
Higher in older adults, children, pregnant and lactating women
Where is most of the body’s calcium found?
Skeleton
What is normal plasma calcium?
2.5 mmol/l (range 2.12 - 2.6)
What are physiological roles of phosphate?
Intracellular metabolism: ATP synthesis
Phosphorylation: enzyme activation
Phospholipids in membranes
What 5 tissues and hormones are involved in calcium and phosphate homeostasis?
Parathyroid glands: sense low plasma Ca, make PTH
Kidney: regulated Ca reabsorption, PO4 excretion and vitamin D activation (1alpha hydroxylase enzyme)
Gut: site of Ca uptake and PO4 uptake regulated by vitamin D
Thyroid: makes calcitonin
Bone: body store of Ca and PO4, makes FGF-23
Which cells secrete parathyroid hormone?
Chief cells
What can allow preservation of parathyroid function after thryoidectomy?
Different blood supplies
Describe parathyroid hormone and its receptor
Peptide hormone (half life is minutes)
Acts via GPCR: multiple isoforms, PTHR1 – binds and is activated by PTH and PTH-related peptide (PTHrP)
Enough is stored for 60-90 min release
What does sustained release of PTH require?
Gene expression ( hours - days) Proliferative activity of PT cells (days - weeks/ longer) Eventually gland size increases
What are primary and secondary effects of PTH?
PTH acts on kidney to: increase Ca2+ reabsorption, promote PO4 excretion, increase active vitamin D by 1alpha hydroxylase action
PTH acts on bone to: mobilise calcium
Secondary effects- due to increased vitamin D production
Where is calcium re absorbed in the kidney? And what effect does PTH have?
Usually most calcium is reabsorbed from tubular fluid
Range of different sites in nephron
Distal tubule reabsorption enhanced by PTH
What is Parathyroid Hormone-Related Peptide (PTHrP)?
Made by many tissues, normal role not fully understood
Mimics PTH, elevating plasma Ca2+
Produced by some cancers, causes hypercalcaemia associated with malignancy
Concentration normal in hyperparathyroidism and other non-malignant hypercalaemias
Does not increase vitamin D levels
What are the kidneys 3 roles in calcium and phosphate homeostasis?
Ca2+ reabsorption: passive, active (regulated by PTH and calcitonin)
Phosphate excretion regulated by PTH
Makes 1,25(OH)2D3 (calcitriol), active vitamin D
What role does vitamin D have in calcium homeostasis? And what problem do people with kidney disease have?
Calcium poorly absorbed from the GI tract
Absorption mediated by active form of vitamin D, calcitriol
Kidney produces 1α-hydroxylase which converts inactive precursor into active form of vitamin D
Patients with kidney disease develop renal bone disease due to failure to produce this enzyme and inability to absorb adequate calcium from diet
Describe the synthesis of active vitamin D
7 dehydro cholesterol from UV light converted in body into inactive d3
This and d2 from diet converted by 25-hydroxylase in liver into calcidiol
Kidney releases 1alpha hydroxylase which converts this into active vitamin D, calcitriol
How does vitamin D exert its effects and what are these effects?
Binds to a nuclear receptor - acts like steroid hormone
Cell membrane and intracellular transport proteins
Endocrine and local paracrine/autocrine actions
Increases Ca2+ uptake from gut - increases expression of TRPV6, CaBP and CaATPase
Increases Ca2+ and PO4 reabsorption in the kidney
Increases bone resorption, which releases Ca2+ and PO4 into plasma
Where does calcium intake come from?
All our calcium intake comes from the intestine
uptake is regulated by vitamin D
What are the 3 methods of calcium absorption in the gut?
Active uptake and extrusion: TRPV6 at brush border, CaATPase and Ca/3Na exchanger at basolateral surface
Paracellular transport: with Ca binding protein via tight junctions
Exocytosis of Ca2+-CaBP complex: TRPV6 at brush border, packaged into vesicles
Where is calcitonin synthesised?
Thyroid gland C cells
neuroendocrine, parafollicular cells
What are the actions of calcitonin?
On bone (primary site): inhibits bone resorption (decreases Ca2+release from bone)
On kidney: decreases reabsorption of PO4 and Ca2+
Opposes PTH
What is mineral component of bone?
Hydroxyapatite
What hormonal control is bone under?
PTH: bone resorption, increasing plasma Ca2+ and PO4 levels
Vitamin D: bone resorption, increasing Ca2+ and PO4 levels
Calcitonin suppresses bone resorption
What does phosphate homeostasis depend on?
Diet and uptake from gut: absorption from gut is 80-90% efficient
Intracellular : extracellular movement
Urinary excretion: actively reabsorbed in proximal convoluted tubule
What hormonal controls are PO4 levels under?
PTH increases plasma Ca2+ and decreases plasma PO4
Vitamin D increases plasma Ca2+ and increases plasma PO4
How is phosphate reabsorbed? And what inhibits it?
Most phosphate in diet absorbed from GI tract & passes into filtrate
Phosphate is reabsorbed by a sodium phosphate co-transporter
Transporter usually reaches Tm from dietary phosphate ∴excess phosphate spills over into urine
PTH (& fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF-23)) inhibit the sodium phosphate co-transporter, thus reducing phosphate reabsorption
What is the homeostatic response to low PO4?
Stimulates 1alpha hydroxylase to form active vitamin D which acts to increase PO4 absorption in gut, reabsorption in kidney and bone resorption
What is the body’s response to high PO4?
Klotho in kidney and FGF23 in bone are obligate partners to inhibit 1alpha hydroxylase so less active vitamin D is formed
FGF23 also provides negative feedback to the secretion of PTH
What is FGF23?
Fibroblast growth factor 23
Predominantly made by osteocytes and osteoblasts
Prevents vitamin D mediated hyperphosphataemia
Phosphaturic hormone (increase PO4 in urine, decrease PO4 in plasma)
Inhibits 1alpha hydroxylase (prevents vitamin D activation)
Inhibits type II sodium-phosphate co- transporters
FGF-23 signalling: Cell surface receptor
Klotho: obligate receptor partner for FGF-23
What are symptoms of hypocalcaemia?
Neuromuscular irritability
Muscle cramps/tetany: As extracellular Ca falls the peripheral nerve fibres discharge spontaneously, leading to muscle contractions
Hypocalcaemic tetany in the hand (carpopedal spasm)
Seizures
Severe cases: prolonged QT interval on ECG
What are symptoms of hypercalcaemia?
Nausea/vomiting/constipation/anorexia
Tiredness, confusion, depression, headaches
Muscle weakness
Kidney stones/ectopic calcification
Loss of bone
Polyuria/polydipsia
Severe cases: shortened QT interval on ECG
What can cause hypercalcaemia?
Primary hyperparathyroidism - Usually caused by a benign tumour (adenoma) on one of parathyroid glands. Individual cells respond normally to Ca2+, but increased numbers mean that more PTH is produced
Tertiary hyperparathyroidism