Endocrine 7: Thyroid and HPT Flashcards
Where is the thyroid gland located?
- anterior to the trachea and cricoid cartilage
What does the thyroid gland look like?
- 2 symmetrical lobes connected by an isthmus
Describe the blood supply of the thyroid gland.
- superior and inferior thyroid arteries (external carotid and thyrocervical trunk)
- venous plexus on anterior surface gives rise to superior, inferior, and middle thyroid veins => jugular vein drainage
What is a bruit and thrill?
In thyroid hypertrophy, the anterior venous plexus becomes vasodilated.
- bruit = you can hear the sound of blood through this area
- thrill = you can feel the blood moving through
How is the thyroid gland innervated?
middle and inferior cervical ganglia
- sympathetic
Describe the structure of the thyroid gland cells.
- colloid/lumen
- surrounded by follicular epithelial cells
- parafollicular cells
How are follicular epithelial cells activated?
- when inactivated, they are flat and squamous
- when activated by TSH, they become cuboidal
Define colloid.
lumen of thyroid cellular components
- large storage of TG
- surrounded by FECs
Define follicular epithelial cells.
- surround the colloid
- where TG is made and secreted into the colloid
- microvilli extend into the colloid to deliver iodide and TG
- close to fenestrated capillaries to deliver hormones directly to blood
Define parafollicular cells.
- C cells
- produce calcitonin
- do NOT line the colloid
- maintain the follicles
How is iodide intake and thyroid hormone production related?
- thyroid hormones are iodothyronines
- thyroid hormone production requires TG and iodide
- excess dietary iodide is mostly excreted
- thyroid keeps 3-4 months worth of iodide
- iodized salt is main dietary source
Describe the Wolf-Chaikoff effect.
- autoregulatory effect inside the thyroid to control iodide intake and maintain iodide storage
- low iodide dose = thyroid takes as much as it can
- high iodide dose = thyroid stops taking it in, and might even stop altogether
Describe the clinical use of the Wolf-Chaikoff effect.
- treat hyperthyroidism
- give high dose iodide to shock the thyroid gland to stop taking in iodide => prevent further production of thyroid hormones
Why is iodide intake important?
- need it to make thyroid hormones
- most common cause of mental retardation worldwide
- iodized salt
Define the HPT axis.
H - hypothalamus - PVN secretes TRH
P - pituitary - thyrotrophs respond to TRH and secrete TSH
T - thyroid - responds to TSH and makes T3/T4/rT3
What are the negative feedback mechanisms of the HPT?
- T4 goes to pituitary => converted to T3 inside thyrotrophs = stops TSH secretion
- T3/T4 negative feedback on PVN
- tonic inhibition by dopamine and SS
Define Thyroxin.
- T4
- long half-life
- VERY tightly bound to transport protein
- mostly inactive (low affinity binding to thyroid receptor inside cells)
- converted to T3 inside cells
Define Triiodothyronine.
- T3
- long half-life
- VERY tightly bound to transport protein
- primarily active thyroid hormone (high affinity, low capacity to thyroid receptors inside cell)
- most intracellular T3 source is converted from T4