L3 pancreas Flashcards
Endocrine Physiology:The Endocrine Pancreas
Cells Type –> ALpha A, Beta B, Delta D, F or PP
Anatomy of endocrine pancreas
Insulin
Consists of 2 chains, A and B, connected by disulfide bridges
Small differences in aa sequence between species
Feline similar to bovine, canine similar to human and identical to porcine in aa sequence
Synthetic human insulin produced through recombinant technology
Also available for injection are beef and pork insulin and a mixed beef/pork combo
Insulin metabolism
Biphasic:
Acute initial response is secretion of preformed insulin
Chronic phase response is synthesis and subsequent secretion of insulin
Enzymes in kidneys and liver metabolise insulin by breaking disulfide bonds, splitting A and B chains
Insulin half-life ~10 minutes
Insulin formulations
Pig ‘natural’ insulin
Synthetic insulin
Injectable insulin formulated to slow release;
different formulations to give choice of how long the insulin lasts:
rapid-acting
short-acting
intermediate-acting
long-acting
ultra long-acting
mixed insulins which may have immediate and more long term effects
Ranges
Starts to work: 15min to 4hrs
Peaks: 30min to 8hrs
Lasts: 3hrs to 42hrs
Metabolic functions of insulin
The main metabolic functions of insulin are anabolic:
promotes the utilization of glucose for energy
conversion of glucose to glycogen
Conversion of fatty acids to triglycerides
Conversion of amino acids to proteins
Acts on a number of sites within metabolic pathways of CHOs, fats and proteins
Liver important
Increases blood flow to muscle and adipose tissue (mediated by action on endothelium to produce NO and cause vasodilation)
Counteracted by increased FA’s as part of the glucose/fatty acid regulatory cycle
Lowers blood glucose
Site of action of insulin
Glucose transport across cell membranes
Insulin is probably best known for its involvement in glucose transport (across cell membranes)
Glucose does not readily penetrate cell membranes
Requires glucose transporters (GLUT) in cell membranes (>12 different types)
There are 4 main GLUT transporters (Glut 1 – 4) and only one of these requires insulin to cause them to facilitate diffusion of glucose
Glut 1
Widely distributed in foetal tissues
Highly expressed in erythrocytes
no mitochondria
need lots of glucose for ATP production from ‘anaerobic respiration’ (glycolysis)
Responsible for low level of basal glucose uptake to sustain cellular respiration in all cells
Upregulation with reduced glucose levels and downregulation with increased glucose levels
Upregulated in many tumours
Glut 2
Bidirectional transporter
Expressed by renal tubular cells (transport reabsorbed glucose out of prox tubule cells), liver cells and pancreatic β cells, as well as enterocytes in the small intestine
Bidirectionality required in liver cells to uptake glucose for glycogenesis, and release of glucose during gluconeogenesis.
In pancreatic β cells, free flowing glucose is required so that the intracellular environment of these cells can accurately gauge the serum glucose levels.
GLUT 1 vs GLUT2 vs passive diffusion graph
GLUT 3
Expressed mostly in neurons and in the placenta
High affinity for glucose so able to transport glucose even when glucose levels are low (hypoglycaemia)
Neurons cannot store glucose (make glycogen) and need a constant supply of glucose to function
Brain energy supply
Brain cells mainly utilise Glut1 and Glut3 transporters
Whilst neurons do not store energy in the form of glucose, astrocytes (neuron support cells) do.
During periods of high demand or hypoglycaemia, astrocytes metabolise intracellular glycogen stores to produce lactate as a source of energy for surrounding neurons
Glut4 transporters have been reported in neurons in cerebral motor areas
supports its suggested role in providing the energy needed for the control of the motor activity
Glut 4
GLUT 4 found in striated muscle cells and adipose cells
Is the insulin-regulated glucose transporter
Responsible for insulin-regulated glucose storage in adipocytes and skeletal muscle fibres
When insulin levels are low, most GLUT 4 is sequestered inside the cell in intracellular vesicles
When insulin binds to the receptors on the cell surface, 2nd messengers cause the fusion of the vesicles to the plasma membrane and glucose can be transported down its concentration gradient
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkkK5lTmBYQ (+1min45sec)