Corticosteroids Flashcards
What are corticosteroids?
They are any steroid hormones (excluding sex hormone) which are produced by the cortex of the adrenal gland or any synthetic equivalent
What are the zones of the adrenal cortex
Zona glomerulosa (outer)
Zona fasciculate (middle)
Zona reticularis (inner)
What hormones reproduced in the zona glomerulosa ?
mineralcorticoids such as aldosterone
What is the function of aldosterone?
Regulates water and electrolyte balance
What hormones are produced in the zona fasciculate?
Glucocorticoids
Cortisol and hydrocortisone
What are the functions of glucocorticoids?
carbohydrate, protein and lipid metabolism
Suppression of inflammation and immune response
Mediator of the stress response
What hormone is produced by the zona reticularis?
Androgens
Dehydroepiandrosterone
What is the function of dehydroepiandrosterone?
Stimulates and maintains mascularisation
What types of cells are found in the medulla of adrenal glands?
Chromaffin cells
What hormones are produced by chromaffin cells?
Catecholamines
E.g. adrenaline, noradrenaline
What is the function of cathecolamines?
Neurohormones; stimulates sympathetic CNS
Flight or fight respones
Cathecholamines have an _______ side chain
amine
What is the difference between mineral & glucocorticoids and catecolamines?
Mineralcorticoids and glucocorticoid are able to pass through the cell and bind to intracellular receptors whilst catecholamines behave like peptide hormones and are unable to do so
How are glucocorticoids regulated?
HPA axis
Hypothalamic- pituitary- adrenal axis
Response to stress involves the HPA axis. Give examples of “stress”
Acute illness
Injury
Pain
Anxiety
Infection
Blood loss
Surgery
Hypoglycaemia
Briefly outline the HPA axis
Hypothalamus released CRH (corticotrophic releasing hormone
CRH stimulates the anterior pituitary gland to release ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone)
ACTH stimulates the adrenal cortex to synthesise and secrete cortisol (zona fasciculate)
ACTH stimulation has a modest effect on __________.
Mineralcorticoid (aldosterone) release
Excess cortisol acts as a _____________ to inhibit ________ and ______ hormones.
Negative feedback loop
CRH and ACTH
___________ is produced by the posterior pituitary gland. What is its function in the stress response?
Vasopressin (Antidiuretic hormone)
It functions to stimulate the production of ACTH in the anterior pituitary gland
Circadian rhythm in glucocorticoid secretion is at its highest in the _________.
morning
Circadian rhythm in glucocorticoid secretion is at its lowest in the _________.
evening
HPA has a modest effect on the production of which corticosteroid hormone?
Aldosterone
HPA is also referred to as the …
stress response axis
What stimulates the release of aldosterone?
HPA axis (moderate release)
Angiotensin II
What system regulates the release of aldosterone?
Renin-angiotensin- aldosterone- system (RAAS)
Briefly describe how the RAAS system regulates aldosterone production
Renin is released from the kidney into the blood and converts angiotensinogen into angiotensin-I
Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) from the vascular endothelium cleaves angiotensin-I into angiotensin-II
Angiotensin II acts on adrenal cortex (Zona glomerulosa) to release aldosterone
In what way is angiotensin II able to increase blood pressure?
Angiotensin II binds to its receptor and has an effect on nitric oxide (vasodilator) synthesis; this increases vasoconstriction
Angiotensin II stimulated the release of ACTH from the adrenal cortex
Where are glucocorticoid receptors found?
They are found in most cell types
How is cortisol found in the blood?
Cortisol is found bound to corticosteroid binding globulin (CBG)
Some cortisol is also found bound to albumin
Whilst bound to CBG or albumin, steroids are biologically active. True or false
False
They are biologically inactive
Steroids enter cells as _________ molecules
free
Intracellular steroid receptors are bound to what proteins?
stabilising proteins e.g. Heat shock proteins (Hsp)
Others (X)?
What happens when steroids initially bind to their intracellular receptors ?
Stabilising proteins are released
The steroid-receptor complex enters the nucleus in the form of a ________.
dimer
What component on the gene do glucocorticoid-receptor complex bind to?
GRE
Glucocorticoid response elements
What is the function of GRE stimulation and inhibition?
regulate gene transcription (activation or inhibition) thus potentially yielding protein production
What the onset of steroid hormones? Why is this?
hours to days
due to longer duration of exprssion
Class I Nuclear receptors are characterised by the formation of _________.
homodimers
Class II nuclear receptors are characterised by the formation of _________ with __________ receptors
heterodimers
Retinoid X receptors (RXR)
Give examples of tissues which contain mineralcorticoid nuclear receptors
Kidney
Sweat ands salivary glands
Epithelia of colon and bladder
The MOA of mineralcorticoids is similar to that of glucocorticoids. In what way does it differ?
-the steroid receptor complex binds to the MRE (mineralcorticoid receptor complex)
-this increases the number of Na+/K+ pumps expressed on the distal tubule
What is the effect of increased expression of Na+/K+ pumps in the distal tubules?
Increased Na+ reabsorption into vasculature (increase in serum Na+)
This therefore leads to passive H2O reabsorption
This increases water retention in the serum
What is the physiological effect of aldosterone?
maintain adequate fluid volume and electrolyte balance for normal cardiac output and arterial BP
What is the MOA of aldosterone ?
Increase Na+/K+ pump expression in distal tubules
Increase Na+ reabsorption and passive reabsorption of water
Increase efflux of H+ and K+ ions, causing increased K+ excretion from kidneys
Mineralcorticoid sensitive organs produce which enzyme to prevent them from responding to cortisol? Briefly explain why this is necessary?
11beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11B HSD)
This is because cortisol and aldosterone are equiactive Mineralcorticoid receptors- cortisol can activate MRs; this can leads to some adverse effects
What is the function of 11beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11B HSD) ?
Convert cortisol to inactive cortisone
In liquorice toxicity ________ found in liquorice roots inhibits 11B HSD activity. What is the effect of this.
Glycyrrhizin
Cortisol build up in mineralcorticoid sensitive tissues such as the kidney
This can lead to:
-hypokalemia (low serum K+)
-hypernatremia (high serum Na+)
-water retention
What symptoms can be expected in >40 years olds with a history of heard disease/ HBD who experience liquorice toxicity?
Oedema
High blood pressure
Muscle cramping or weakness
Abnormal heart rhythm and heart failure
What are the inflammatory actions of glucocorticoids?
Inhibition of genes regulating expression of inducible COX-2 and NOS and most inflammatory cytokines (decreased production and action of interleukins, granulocyte macrophage CSF, TNFa, INFy)
Upregulation of the expression of annexin A1
Acute inflammation (influx and activity of leucocytes)
Chronic inflammation (decreased activity of mononuclear cells, decreased angiogenesis, decreased fibrosis)
What is the function of annexin A1?
directly inhibits PLA2 (phospholipase 2) and COX-2)
PLA2 metabolised the production of AA
this overall lead to decreased prostaglaindin and leukotriene synthesis
An inhibition of genes regulating expression of inducible COX2 and NOS leads to …
decreases prostanoids
decreased vasodilation
decreased vascular permeability
What immunosuppressive actions are caused by glucocorticoids?
decreased T lymphocyte activation and proliferation
decreased action of cytokine secreting T lypmphocytes
decreased production of plasma cells and antibodies
decreased phagocytosis of antigens by macrophages