Calcium Homeostasis Flashcards
How is calcium stored?
Majority (99%) of calcium is stored within bone as extracellular matrix
1% of body calcium in soluble form in extracellular fluids and in cells
How is calcium transported in the blood?
40% bound to plasma proteins
10% in complexes (citrate, phosphate)
50% in an ionized (active) form
Where do the calcium buffers lie?
Exchangeable calcium in bone salts
Exchangeable calcium in mitochondria
If an animal is hypocalcemic and needs more calcium what hormones are produced?
Increase parathyroid hormone (PTH)
Produce more activated vitamin D3
If an animal is hypercalcemic and needs more calcium what hormones are produced?
Decrease parathyroid hormone (PTH)
In severe hypercalcemia Calcitonin
PTH is secreted by what cells?
Secreted by the principal (chief cells) of the parathyroid glands
How is PTH synthesised?
Starts as a Pre-prohormone of 110 amino acids
Then into a prohormone of 90 amino acids
Finally into secretory vesicles as PTH, with a length of 84 amino acids
First 34 amino acids (N-terminus) mediates the actions
What is the half life of PTH and where is it degraded?
Short half-life of 10 minutes
Degraded in the liver
PTH secretion is fine tuned by…
Negative feedback at the level of the principle cells via the Receptor coupled to G protein which controls exocytosis of PTH containing vesicles
How does PTH increase calcium levels?
- Bone: Fast (min) phase from bone fluid
- Bone: Slow (days) phase from bone
- Kidney: Reabsorption within tubules
- Intestine: Indirect effect through the activation of vitamin D
How is calcium reclaimed from the bone matrix?
Osteoclasts (multinucleated) erode bone and incorporate calcium into ECF
What is the osteocytic membrane and what does it do?
There is a continuous layer of osteocytes and osteoblasts that covers bone surface provides a physical barrier between the bone and the extracellular fluid of the body
Where is the bone fluid?
Bone fluid between the osteocytic membrane and the bone
How fast is fast bone phase of calcium reabsorption?
Begins in minutes and progressively increases for hours
Increased calcium uptake from bone fluid
How does PTH regulate calcium uptake from bone fluid?
PTH interacts with membrane receptors on osteocytes and osteoblasts
Increases permeability to calcium on bone fluid side of the membrane
Increased calcium uptake from bone fluid
Bone fluid calcium level drops
Nearby calcium phosphate crystals replace calcium in the bone fluid (osteolysis)
How does PTH cause the slow uptake of calcium from bone
Activation of osteoclastsand formation of new osteoclasts
No receptors for PTH, so signal comes from activated osteocytes and osteoblasts
Takes days (48 hours) to respond
Progressive depletion of bone mineral
How does PTH cause calcium retention in the kidneys?
Increases calcium reabsorption in the late distal tubules and collecting tubules
Results in retention of Ca and Mg
Decreases phosphorous reabsorption in the renal proximal tubule
Results in rapid loss of phosphorous
How does PTH cause activation of vitamin D (calcitriol)?
Vitamin D from the diet or skin
Final conversion to active vitamin D (calcitriol) occurs in the kidney
Catalyzed by the enzyme: 1-alpha-hydoxylase
This enzyme is activated by PTH