Endocrine Physiology Flashcards
Define the Endocrine system
Integrates and controls organ function via the secretion of chemicals from cells, tissues or glands which are then carried in the blood to target organs, distal from the site of hormone synthesis, where they influence the activity of the target organ
What are paracrine chemicals?
Act local to the site of synthesis, do not travel to distant sites e.g. histamine
What are autocrine chemicals?
act in/on the same cell that synthesises the hormone e.g. cytokines
What are exocrine chemicals?
released from exocrine glands via ducts to the external environment including the GI tract e.g. saliva, sweat, bile
How do endocrine hormones communicate?
Travel in the blood to their target organ/tissues. (presence of specific receptors)
What happens in neural communication?
Neurotransmitters released from presynaptic - travel across synaptic cleft - to postsynaptic cell to influence activity. (acts locally)
What is neuroendocrine?
Endocrine and nervous system combine. Nerves release hormones which enter blood and travel to their target cells.
The response of a target cell to any 1 hormone is highly specific, but how can the same hormone have a different affect in different target cells?
The hormone Insulin:
Target tissue:
skeletal muscle / adipose tissue –> which leads to and increase glucose uptake
However, if the liver was the target tissue –> response would be increased glycogenesis
decreased gluconeogenesis.
What is the function of endocrine hormones?
Bring about changes in the activity of their target cells and tissues.
What are the 6 main features of an endocrine hormone?
- Produced by a cell or groups of cells
- Secreted from those cells into the blood
- Transported via the blood to distant targets
- Exert their effects at very low concentrations
- Act by binding to receptors on target tissues
- Have their action terminated, often via negative feedback loops.
What are the 3 classifications of endocrine hormones?
- Peptide or protein hormones - composed of chains of amino acids (most common) *short half-life in plasma.
- Amine hormones - all derived from one or two amino acids (tyrosine)
- Steroid hormones - all derived from cholesterol
* longer half-life
Peptide hormones:
What are preprohormones?
The initial hormone produced by ribosomes - large and inactive. Nut contain one or more copy of the active hormone in their amino acid sequence.
What do proteolytic enzymes do?
Break prohormone down into active hormone and other fragments in the golgi apparatus.
What is C-peptide and what is its clinical importance?
Inactive fragment cleaved from the insulin prohormone.
Clinically - levels of C-peptide in plasma or urine are often measured to indicate endogenous insulin production from the pancreas.
Action of peptide hormones:
Water soluble - easily transport via blood but not cross cell membrane.
Generally create relatively fast biological responses.
What do most peptide hormones work by?
Modulating either GPCR or tyrosine kinase linked signalling pathways.
These pathways phosphorylate existing proteins in the cell and modify their function.
Amine hormones:
Which are derived from tyrosine?
Dopamine (CNS neurotransmitter)
Norepinephrine (neurotransmitter)
Epinephrine (hormone released by adrenal medulla)
* similar mechanism to peptide hormones
What is melatonin derived from and what does it do?
Derived from tyrosine
Regulates circadian rhythm
How do steroid hormones work?
Synthesised directly as needed. Highly lipophilic so cannot be retained within lipid membranes. Once synthesised they diffuse across membrane into the ISF and the blood. Transported bound to carrier proteins such as albumin
* alter protein synthesis
What are steroid hormones produced by?
- Gonads (testes and ovaries) - sex steroids
- Placenta - hCG, sex steroids
- Kidney - Vit D3
- Adrenal cortex - corticosteroids
What determines which steroid hormone is produced?
Different cells having different enzymes synthesising different derivatives of cholesterol.
What are the actions of steroid hormones?
Receptors located inside cell - trigger either activation or repression of gene function within nucleus = genomic effect.
Slow process
Physiological activity of lipophilic hormones:
What are the physiological important fractions?
Unbound free steroid/thyroid hormones in plasma - can diffuse across capillary walls to target cells.
What determines hormone concentration in the plasma?
Balance between secretion and degradation/excretion
*secretion is responsive to neg feedback reflexes.
What determines endocrine hormone concentration in the plasma?
Balance between secretion and degradation/excretion
*secretion is responsive to neg feedback reflexes.
What do some endocrine pathways respond to?
Neural feedback loops e.g. adrenaline
- Specialised cells in adrenal medulla release adrenaline into blood stream
What happens when prolonged exposure to low hormone concentration in plasma occurs?
Often leads to up-regulation of receptor number (increases tissue sensitivity to hormone)
What happens when prolonged exposure to high hormone concentration in plasma occurs?
Typically leads to down-regulation of receptor number (decreases tissue sensitivity to hormone)
What are permissive effects?
Presence of one hormone enhances the effect of another e.g. epinephrine with thyroid present greatly increases lipolysis.
What are antagonistic effects?
The presence of one hormone reduces the effect of another
e.g. growth hormone impairs the response to insulin by decreasing number of insulin receptors on tissues.
What is the hypothalamus-pituitary axis?
Hypothalamus and pituitary gland together are principle organisers of the endocrine system
How are the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland connected?
Directly via a stalk called the infundibulum.
What is the difference between the posterior and anterior pituitary?
Posterior - extension of the neural tissue
Anterior - true endocrine gland of epithelial origin.
Describe the pituitary gland and its location
Bean-shaped and bean sized endocrine gland
Located in a hypothaseal fossa (pocket) in sphenoid bone directly below hypothalamus.
What are tropic hormones?
Neurohormones secreted into capillaries travelling to anterior pituitary. Govern release of anterior pituitary hormones.
What are non-tropic hormones?
Neurohormones produced in the hypothalamus and travel to posterior pituitary (via axons of hypothalamic neurons where they are released into blood)
What are all hormones released by the hypothalamus and the posterior pituitary?
Neurohormones
What are all hormones released by the anterior pituitary?
Endocrine
What are the 5 hypothalamic “releasing hormones”?
- Thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH)
- Corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH)
- Growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH)
- Gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH)
- Prolactin Releasing Hormone (PRH)
What are the 2 hypothalamic “inhibiting hormones”?
- Growth hormone inhibiting hormone (GHIH)
2. Prolactin Inhibiting hormone (PIH) Dopamine
What is the hypothalamus-hypophyseal portal system?
Network of tiny vessels which transfer trophic hormones from hypothalamus to anterior pituitary.
Short distance - very rapid and dynamic
Features of the anterior pituitary
- true endocrine tissue
- epithelial origin
- connected to hypothalamus via capillary portal system
- makes up 2/3rds of gland
Features of posterior pituitary
- neuroendocrine tissue
- neural tissue origin
- neural connection to hypothalamus
- secrets neurohormones made in hypothalamus
- makes up 1/3rd of gland
Name 5 tropic hormones released from the anterior pituitary gland
- TSH aka thyrotropin
- Adrenocorticotrophic Hormone (ACTH) aka corticotropin
- Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH)
- Luteinising Hormone (LH)
- Growth Hormone (GH)
What is the 6th hormone released from ant. pituitary?
Prolactin - directly stimulates milk production from the breast during lactation
Anterior pituitary feedback control:
What are the 3 integration centres?
- hypothalamus
- anterior pituitary
- target endocrine cell
How can hormones act as negative feedback signals?
Hormones themselves act as a negative feedback signal.
Each hormone feeds back to inhibit hormone secretion by integrating centres earlier in the reflex.
- What is feedback from endocrine target?
2. What is feedback from anterior pituitary to hypothalamus?
- Long-loop feedback
2. Short-loop feedback
What hormones does the posterior pituitary store and release?
2 peptide neurohormones:
- vasopressin (aka anti-diuretic hormone; ADH)
- oxytocin
Where are the hormones (posterior pituitary) synthesised?
Magnocellular neurons - cell bodies in specific areas of the hypothalamus.
How are theses hormones (post.) released?
Do not synapse with other neurons, their terminals end directly on capillaries.
Hormones transported to the nerve terminal in posterior p ready for release. Released directly into blood stream.
What is the main function of vasopressin and what triggers it and what is its mode of action?
Regulates water balance.
Release triggered by - increase in plasma osmolarity and decrease in plasma volume/blood pressure
Mode - kidney collecting ducts - increase water reabsorption
vascular smooth muscle - increase blood pressure