Corticosteroids

Question 1

What do corticosteroids usually treat

Answer 1

Inflammatory or autoimmune diseases

Question 2

How many people in the UK are taking continuous oral steroids

Answer 2

> 250,000

Question 3

How does natural steroid compare to prednisone

Answer 3

OH changed to double O

Question 4

How much more effective is prednisone than cortisol

Answer 4

6 times more effective

Question 5

When is highest level of cortisol found

Answer 5

Upon waking

Question 6

When is lowest level of cortisol found

Answer 6

Around 7.30 in the evening

Question 7

Under what circumstances do cortisol levels increase

Answer 7

Stress

Question 8

Is cortisol is high, how does this affect your immune activity

Answer 8

Increases immune activity

Question 9

What effect can steroids have on the stomach

Answer 9

Peptic ulcers

Question 10

What effect can steroids have on eyes

Answer 10

Glucoma

Question 11

What effect can steoids have on the bones

Answer 11

Osteoporosis

Avascular necrosis

Question 12

What kind of receptor is glucocoritoid receptor

Answer 12

Nucleus

Question 13

What are the 2 forms of glucocorticoid receptor

Answer 13

Alpha
Beta
Beta doesn’t have the b terminal domain so doesn’t bind the steroid

Question 14

How does glucocorticoid enter the cell

Answer 14

Through the membrane as lipophillic

Question 15

Do side effects of steroids come through transrepression or transactivation route

Answer 15

Transactivation

Question 16

Name 3 possible non-genomic mechanisms of action of glucocorticoids

Answer 16

• Membrane receptors
• Cytosolic GR signalling
• Steroids intercollate in the membrane and shut down cell signallings

Question 17

Why do steroids have such systemic side effects

Answer 17

Because every cell has a glucocorticoid receptor