Endocrinology Flashcards
What is endocrinology?
Study of hormones, their gland of origin, their receptors, the intracellular signalling pathways and their associated diseases
Describe endocrine glands
- ductless
- release hormones directly into blood
main purpose of endocrine system?
To release hormones directly into blood, allowing for rapid adaptive changes, integration of whole body physiology, chronic maintenance of metabolic environment and the communication for multi-cellular organisms.
Definition of endocrine:
These glands ‘pour’ secretions directly into the blood stream without ducts.
E.g. thyroid, adrenal and beta cells of pancreas
Definition of exocrine:
These glands ‘pour’ secretions through a duct to site of action.
E.g. submandibular, parotid, pancreas - amylase & lipase
Definition of hormone action:
Endocrine - blood-bourne, acting on distant sites
Paracrine - acting on nearby adjacent cells
Autocrine - feedback on same cell that secreted the hormone (acts on itself)
features of water-soluble hormones?
- transported unbound
- bind to surface receptor on cells
- have a short half-life
- are cleared fast
give examples of water soluble hormones
peptides and monoamines - both stored in vesicles before secretion
features of fat-soluble hormones?
- transported bound to proteins
- diffuse into cells
- have a long half-life
- are cleared slowly
Give examples of fat-soluble hormones
Thyroid hormone and steroids (synthesised on demand)
Describe the features of hormone class; peptides (e.g. insulin)
- stored in secretory granules
- hydrophilic and water soluble
- released in pulses of bursts
- cleared by tissue or circulating enzymes
- Synthesis: preprohormone –> prohormone
- Packaging: prohormone –> hormone
- Storage - hormone
- Secretion - hormone
Describe the process of insulin activation:
- Binds to insulin receptors
- resulting in phosphorylation of the receptor and the activation of secondary messenger (Tyrosine Kinase)
- Phosphorylation of signal molecules
- cascade of effect
- glucose uptake
Give examples of Amine hormones
Dopamine, adrenaline, noradrenaline
What are the intermediates created when converting Phenylalanine into Adrenaline?
Phenylalanine –> L-Tyrosine –> L-Dopa –> Dopamine –> Noradrenaline –> Adrenaline
What breaks down noradrenaline?
- Catechol-O-mehtyl transferase breaks down noradrenaline into normetanephrine
Noradrenaline – CMT –> Normetanephrine
What is adrenaline broken down by?
Adrenaline – CMT –> Metanephrine
What can normetanephrine and metanephrine used for?
- Can be used as indicators of adrenaline and noradrenaline
- Measured in serum
What do amine hormones bind to?
- Alpha receptors
- Beta receptors
What does amine binding to alpha receptors cause?
- Vasoconstriction
- Bowel muscle contraction
- Sweating
- Anxiety
What does amine binding to beta receptors cause?
- Vasodilation
- Increase in heart rate
- Increases force of contractility
- Relaxation of bronchial smooth muscles
Features of Iodothyronine hormones:
- Have to be bound to protein (as are not water soluble on their own)
- 99% is protein bound to thyroid - binding globulin (TBG)
T3 - Triiodothyronine - more active
T4 - Thyroxine - less active but more produced - incorporation of Iodine + Tyrosine molecule + Thyroglobulin form iodothyrosines
- Conjugation of iodothyrosines gives rise to T3 and T4
- Stored in colloid bound to thyroglobulin
- TSH stimulates the movement of colloid into secretory cell, T4 and T3 cleaved from thyroglobulin
- T4 = reservoir for additional T3
- Majority of T3 comes from the breakdown of T4 (converted outside the thyroid gland)
What are the features of vitamin D and what hormone class does it belong to?
- Cholesterol derivatives
- fat soluble
- enters cell directly to bind to nucleus and stimulate mRNA production
- transported by vitamin D binding protein
What are the features of adrenocortical & gonadal steroids
- 95% are protein bound
- After entering cell they can pass to nucleus to induce response (oestrogen)
or act like steroid hormones
What are the features of steroid hormones
- diffuse through plasma membrane and bind to cytoplasm receptor
- receptor-hormone complex then enters the nucleus
- where it binds to glucocorticoid response element (GRE)
- binding initiates transcription of gene to mRNA
- mRNA directs protein synthesis
Where are hormone receptors located?
Cell membrane - peptides (i.e. insulin)
Cytoplasm - steroids, glucocorticoids (i.e. cortisol), mineralocorticoids (i.e. aldosterone), androgens (i.e. testosterone), progesterone
Nucleus - thyroid hormones, oestrogen, vitamin D
Where are receptors for fat soluble hormones?
steroid hormones
Receptors can either be in the cytoplasm or nucleus
What are the different types of hormone secretion patterns
example for each
- Continuous release (prolactin- inhibited by dopamine)
- Pulsatile; multiple pulses throughout the day (insulin)
- Circadian rhythm (ACTH, prolactin, GH, TSH and cortisol)
How is hormone action controlled?
- Hormone metabolism (increased metabolism = decreased function)
- Hormone receptor induction
- Hormone receptor down regulation (hormone secreted in large quantities causes down regulation of its target receptor)
- Synergism; combined effect of 2 hormones amplified
- Antagonism
Give an example of hormone receptor induction
Induction of LH receptors by FSH in follicle
Give an example of synergism in the context of control of hormone action
Glucagon with adrenaline - both released when hypoglycaemic to increase sugar levels
Give an example of antagonism in the context of control of hormone action
Glucagon (raises glucose levels) antagonises insulin (reduces glucose levels)
What is called the hypophysis?
The pituitary gland.
Refers to the glands position on the underside of the brain.
Describe the positioning of the pituitary gland
Sits in the pituitary fossa - inferior to the optic chiasm.
In a pocket of the sphenoid bone at the base of the brain, below the hypothalamus to which it is connected to by the infundibulum (contains axons and small blood vessels).
Two cavernous sinuses either side of it.
What else can pathology in the pituitary affect?
- Vision problems, if pituitary places pressure on the chiasm
- Cavernous sinus structures if it applies pressure to them
What makes up the pituitary?
2 glands;
- Anterior pituitary gland; adenophysis
- Posterior pituitary gland; neurohypophysis
What are hypophysiotropic hormones?
- released by the hypothalamus to reach the anterior pituitary via the Hypathalamo-hypophyseal portal vessels/veins
- Stimulate the anterior pituitary to release 6 hormones
- Corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH); stimulates release of ACTH
- Growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH)(; is inhibited by somatostatin)
- Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH); stimulates release of TSH
- Gonadatropin-releasing hormone (GnRH); stimulates release of LH and FSH
- Dopamine (DA); inhibits release of prolactin
Describe the relationship between dopamine and prolactin
Prolactin is under negative control by dopamine.
If pituitary was destroyed, would result in an increase in the secretion of prolactin as its negative pressure would not be able to reach it.
What is the blood supply to the anterior pituitary?
- No arterial blood supply
- Receives blood via portal venous circulation (hypothalamo-hypophyseal portal vessels/veins)
- local blood system; mechanism for hormones of the hypothalamus to directly affect the anterior pituitary
What is the three hormone sequence that all hypophysiotropic hormones go through (bar Dopmaine)?
- A hypophysiotropic hormone controls the secretion…
- Of a anterior pituitary gland hormone which controls the secretion of…
- A hormone from some other endocrine gland. this last hormone is the one that acts on target cells.
Advantages of the 3 step sequence of hypophysiotropic hormones?
- Permit a variety of hormonal feedback, most importantly, negative feedback
- Allow for amplification of a response of a small number of hypothalamic neurones into a large peripheral hormone signal
What are the 6 peptide hormones of the anterior pituitary and where are they produced?
(FLATPIG)
- Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH); gonadotrophs
- Lutenizing hormone (LH); gonadotrophs
- Adrenocotricotropic homone (ACTH); corticotrophs
- Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH); thyrotophs
- Prolactin; lactotrophs
- Growth hormone (- somtotropin, GH); somatotrophs
Describe actions of FSH and LH…
- target the gonads
- stimulate germ cell development (females = ovum, males = sperm)
FSH: oestrogen release
Positive feedback: release of oestrogen and stimulation of LH
LH; release of the egg; stimulates progesterone release = thickening of the uterine wall
What is the effect of LH in men?
Effect leydig cells and result in testosterone release.
Describe the action of GH
- stimulates growth and protein synthesis
- effects on the whole body;
- stimulates glucogenesis + inhibits insulin = increase in glucose
- adipose tissue; breaks down fat
- liver; increases protein synthesis stimulates IGF-1 (increases cartilage proliferation)
Describe the action of ACTH
- stimulates adrenal cortex to secrete cortisol from zona fasiculata
- stimulates androgen release from zona reticularis
- stimulate adrenaline release from adrenal medulla
Describe the effect of TSH
- stimulates the release of thyroid hormone:
- controls rate of metabolic reactions
- accelerate food metabolism
- increases protein synthesis
- stimulation of carbohydrate metabolism
- enhance fat metabolism
- increase ventilation rate
- increases CO and HR
- Brain development during foetal life and postnatal development
- growth rate acceleration
T3 half life = 1 day
T4 half life = 5 to 7 days
too little = everything is slow
too much = everything is fast