Endocrine pharmacology Flashcards
What are the releasing factors produced by the hypothalamus that act upon the anterior pituitary?
growth hormone releasing factor (GHF) somatostatin (inhibits release of GH) tryptophan releasing hormone (TRH) Corticotrophin releasing factor (CRF) Dopamine (inihbits prolactin release
What cells in the anterior pituitary release prolactin?
Lactotrophs
ACTH is released by what in the anterior pituitary
Corticotrophs
What releases reproductive hormones?
the Gonadotrophs found in the anterior pituitary.
What cells in the anterior pituitary release Growth hormone? and what condition occurs when growth hormone is not released?
Somatrophs. pituitary dwarfisim.
trypotophan stimulating hormone released from where?
Thyrotrophs.
What hormones are produced in the posterior pituitary and what are their functions?
Oxytocin. causes uterine smooth muscle contraction and breast myoepithelial contraction.
Vasopressin/ADH for water retention in the kidney.
what is acromegaly? how to treat it?
when there is an excess of GH in adulthood.
causes growth of the soft tissues and mild hyperglycaemia.
Use somatostatin receptor agonists such as Octreotide. causes the anterior pituitary to stop releasing GH
How do you treat pituitary dwafisim?
use somatropin HGH (human growth hormone) injections.
inject IGF-1.
Sermorlin can also be used as it is a GHRF analogue so can be used for diagnosis and to increase growth in children.
What is the importance of thyroid hormones and what are some of their physiological effects?
key for metabolisim and developtment.
increase lipid, carbs and protein metabolisim.
oxygen consumption
heat production
basal metabolic rate
What thyroid hormones are produced in the thyroid glands?
thyroxine (T4) and trilodothyronine (T3)
what conditions can occur from a lack of iodine in the diet?
Non toxic goitre (Derbyshire neck)
If iodine deficency in childhood leads to Cretinisim.
what is hypothyroidisim? what conditions does it cause?
Low levels of Thyroxine (T4) causes Myxodema which is the thickening of the skin and Hashimotos disease which is an auto immune disease. happens due to antibodies that cause a destruction of the thyroid tissue.
What is hyperthyroidism and what conditions does it cause?
excess production of T4 and T3.
Graves disease. Auto immune where antibodies directly stimulate the thyroid gland to produce excess T4 and T3. leads to low levels of plasma TSH due to negative feedback inhibiton stopping its release from the Anterior pituitary.
HOW CAN hyperthyroidism be treated?
surgical removal of part or all of thyroid gland and then provide life long hormonal replacement therapy.
use radioactive iodine to destroy part of gland
use drugs. such as thioureylenes like methimazole that inhibit iodination of tyrosine.
What is protirelin?
a synthetic TRH that is used to diagnositcally test the functionality of the anterior pituitary to produce TSH.
what enzyme do thioureylenes inhibit?
Thyroperoxidase.
What is diabetes insipidus? how is it treated?
where there is damage to the pituitary that leads to a reduction or inability for it to secrete ADH. Leads to large volumes of dilute urine and extreme thirst.
can be managed with hormone replacements.
What hormones are produced by the adrenal glands?
Androgens (sex hormones)
Aldosterone (body main mineralcorticoid for water and electrolyte regulation)
Cortisol
How is aldosterone produced?
drop in extracellular fluid.
kidney activates release of renin
renin converts angiotensinogen to Angiotensin 1
AG1 gets converted to AG2 by ACE
AG2 acts on adrenal cortex to stimulate aldosterone production.
Why can ACE inhibiton be used for treatment of Hypertension?
AG2 causes increase in BP and vasoconstiction so if ACE is inihbited then there is less AG2 produced that causes these hypertensive conditons.
How does aldosterone effect sodium?
causes an increased retention of sodium which leads to increased extracellular fluid.
What are the metabolic actions of cortisol?
Causes decreased protein syntheisis and increased protein degradation in skeletal muscles.
leads to decreased glucose uptake and increased lipid mobilisation in the adipose tissues.
causes liver to increase gluconeogenesis which leads to increased blood glucose and increased glycogen storage.
How does cortisol decrease inflammation?
cortisol increases levels of lipocrotin that decreases the activity of phospholipase A2 that is an enzyme required for the production of Prostoglandins form arachidonic acids. leads to less PG induced inflammation.
