human development - endocrinology Flashcards
what are the two types of glands?
- endocrine (inside the body)
- exocrine (outside the body)
what is the difference between endocrine and exocrine glands?
- endocrine glands are directly released into circulation
- exocrine glands are released outside of the body, via a duct
what is a hormone?
- a chemical substance
- secreted without the benefit of a duct
- acts at long ranges
- often slowly
- on distant organs or tissues
what are the types of actions by hormones?
- paracrine (hormone is released and acts upon adjacent cell)
- autocrine (hormone is released and acts upon the same cell that it was released from)
- neurocrine (messenger is released from one neurone, to act on the next neurone)
- endocrine (hormone is secreted directly into the circulation)
- neuroendocrine (messenger is released from a neurone into the circulation)
what type of hormone action is histamine release from mast cells?
paracrine
what type of hormone action is interleukin release?
autocrine
what type of hormone action is dopamine inhibition of prolactin release?
neuroendocrine
why is the endocrine system important?
- maintains internal environment
- in response to changes in the external environment
- important for growth and development, puberty and sexual maturation
what is thyroxine?
- a thyroid hormone
- derivative of tyrosine
- with added iodine molecules
what are the catecholamine derivatives of tyrosine?
- adrenaline
- dopamine
what are the four glycoprotein hormones?
- thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH)
- follicle stimulating hormone (FSH)
- luteinising hormone (LH)
- human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)
what are glycoprotein hormones made up of?
- alpha (species specific) and beta chain (hormone specific)
- carbohydrate
what are the three steroid hormones?
- mineralocorticoids (affects water and electrolyte balance)
- glucocorticoids (affects carbohydrate and protein balance)
- sex steroids (affects sexual characteristics)
give an example for each type of steroid hormone
- mineralocorticoids (aldosterone)
- glucocorticoids (cortisol)
- sex steroids (oestrogen, testosterone, progesterone)
describe the receptor mechanism between adrenaline and protein kinase A
- adrenaline binds to a G protein coupled beta adrenoreceptor
- this activates adenylyl cyclase
- this increases intracellular concentrations of cAMP
- this activates protein kinase A, to provide the catalytic unit which can phosphorylate other enzymes to produce a response
describe the receptor mechanism involving PLC, DAG, IP3 and protein kinase C
- ligand binds to receptor which activates Gq protein
- this activates PLC, which acts on membrane phospholipids to form DAG and IP3 (second messengers)
- IP3 binds to endoplasmic reticulum and causes the release of calcium
- DAG acts on protein kinase C to activate it, which also elevates intracellular calcium concentrations
- other enzymes become phosphorylated to produce a response
what hormones circulate in free form and bound form?
- catecholamines: free form
- thyroid hormones: mainly bound form
- proteins/peptides: mainly free form
- steroid hormones: mainly in bound form
what is the chain of enzymes to get adrenaline from tyrosine?
- tyrosine
- DOPA
- dopamine
- noradrenaline
- adrenaline
how are different hormones stored and released?
- catecholamines: stored in secretory granule or vesicle
- peptide hormones: stored in secretory granule, released via exocytosis due to Ca2+ conc. contents are released while the granule is recycled
- thyroid hormones: stored in a colloid as part of thyroglobulin
- steroid hormones: not stored, made from cholesterol which are stored in lipid droplets.
what are the type of releases of hormones?
- pulsatile: episodic release of hormone
- circadian: based of a 24hr cycle
- diurnal: synchronised to day/night
- infradian: based on longer than 24hr cycle
- seasonal
how are oestrogen and progesterone released in women?
- hypothalamus releases GnRH
- which acts on anterior pituitary
- causes releases of FSH and LH to the ovaries
- FSH causes follicle maturation and the release of oestrogen
- LH acts on the corpus luteum and causes the release of progesterone
- both oestrogen and progesterone act in a negative feedback system with the anterior pituitary, to stimulate or inhibit the release of FSH and LH
- progesterone can also act in a negative feedback system with they hypothalamus to stimulate or inhibit the release of GnRH
how does a pulsatile release of GnRH from the hypothalamus affect FSH and LH?
- releases FSH and LH
how does a sustained release of GnRH from the hypothalamus affect FSH and LH?
- inhibits release of FSH and LH
describe the hormone binding of catecholamines and protein peptides
- largely hydrophilic
- do not associate with plasma proteins
describe the hormone binding of steroid hormones and thyroid hormones
- lipophilic
- highly bound to plasma proteins
what is the scientific name for the pituitary gland?
hypophysis
what is the pituitary gland divided into?
- anterior lobe (adenohypophysis) contains endocrine hormones
- posterior lobe (neurohypophysis)
describe the organisation of the hypothalamus and pituitary (supraoptic nucleus)
- nerves in the supraoptic nucleus make contact with capillaries in the portal system (runs from the hypothalamus to the adenohypophysis)
- neurones release factors into portal system, which stimulate or inhibit release of hormones from endocrine cells
describe the organisation of the hypothalamus and pituitary (paraventricular nucleus)
- nerves in paraventricular nucleus make contact with neurohypophysis)
- hormones are directly released into blood supply and are carried away by venous drainage
- to present their effects onto the peripheral system
what is a tropic hormone?
a hormone released by an endocrine gland, which acts upon another endocrine gland
what is a trophic hormone?
a hormone which stimulates growth in target tissues. they may cause hypertrophy (increase in cell size) or hyperplasia (increase in cell number)
explain the hypothalamic-pituitary axis
- CNS input + other input
- hypothalamus
- releasing hormone
- anterior pituitary
- tropic hormone
- peripheral gland (endocrine gland that is not in the nervous system)
- hormone
- target
- effect
how many hormones are produced by the anterior pituitary?
6
what hormones are produced by the anterior pituitary?
- FSH (follicle stimulating hormone)
- LH (leutinizing hormone)
- TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone)
- ACTH (adrenocortico tropic hormone)
- prolactin
- GH (growth hormone)
what do FSH and LH act upon?
testes, ovaries
what does TSH act upon?
thyroid gland
what does ACTH act upon?
adrenal gland
what does prolactin act upon?
mammary glands
what does GH act upon?
bones, tissues, liver
what is somatostatin?
growth hormone release inhibiting hormone
what is inhibin?
a hormone produced by the ovaries, which feed back to the gonadotropes in the anterior pituitary; inhibiting the release of FSH