Lecture 10

Question 1

Zona glomerulosa secretory products:

Answer 1

Mineralocorticoids. Mainly aldosterone.

Question 2

Zone fasciculata secretory products:

Answer 2

Glucocorticoids. Mainly cortisol.

Question 3

Zone reticularis secretory products:

Answer 3

Androgens.

Question 4

Size of adrenal glands:

Answer 4

4g each

Question 5

Secretory products of adrenal medulla: %s

Answer 5

Chromaffin cells secrete E (80%) and NE (10%)

Question 6

Cortisol: importance in humans, half life

Answer 6

Primary glucocorticoid in humans.

Half-life of 70-90 minutes.

Question 7

Transport of cortisol:

Answer 7

90% bound to corticosteroid-binding globulin
7% bound to albumin
3-4% free

Question 8

What tissues contain glucocorticoid receptors?

Answer 8

All nucleated tissues!

Question 9

Cortisol’s glucose increasing activity:

Answer 9

Enhance protein breakdown to provide liver with AAs to build into glucose and glycogen.
Increase lipolysis and allow additional glycerol into the liver.

Question 10

Cortisol during starvation:

Answer 10

Essential! Can make glucose from different routes.

Question 11

Anti-inflammatory activity of cortisol:

Answer 11

Enhance lipocortin and annexin -> inhibit PLA -> inhibit arachidonic acid and its inflammatory babies.
Reduces T-lymphocytes.
Inhibits histamine release and reduces releasers.

Question 12

Who all does cortisol hate?

Answer 12

Arachidonic acid, cytokines, interleukin-2, T-lymphocytes, histamine, bradykinin, serotonin, eosinophils, basophils

Question 13

Cortisol and vascular system:

Answer 13

Optimizes responsiveness to catecholamines. Maintains normal blood pressure in arterioles.

Question 14

Cushing syndrome:

Answer 14

Caused by excess cortisol.
Symptoms: truncal adiposity, hypertension, hyperglycemia, loss of subcutaneous adipose and connective tissue in extremities, loss of bone mineral, muscle weakness/wasting

Question 15

Adison’s syndrome:

Answer 15

Caused by insufficient cortisol.

Symptoms: chronic adrenal insufficiency, hypocortisolism.

Question 16

Aldosterone: what is it made of? half-life?

Answer 16

Made from LDLs.

Half-life of 15-20 minutes.

Question 17

Transport of aldosterone:

Answer 17

Albumin.

Question 18

Effects of aldosterone:

Answer 18

Control salt/water retention.

Question 19

Systems for stimulating aldosterone secretion:

Answer 19

Renin-angiotensin system
ACTH system
Potassium system

Question 20

ACE-inhibiting drugs:

Answer 20

Angiotensin Converting Enzyme turns angiotensin I into angiotensin II, which stimulates aldosterone secretion.

Question 21

Conn syndrome:

Answer 21

Hyperaldosteronism. Tumour of the zona glomerulosa.

Question 22

Aldosterone and heart health:

Answer 22

Aldosterone increases fibrosis in myocardium and blood vessel walls.

Question 23

Locations of adrenergic receptor types:

alpha 1, alpha 2, beta 1, beta 2, beta 3

Answer 23

Alpha 1: most sympathetic target cells
Alpha 2: digestive system
Beta 1: heart
Beta 2: skeletal muscle, vascular and bronchial smooth muscle
Beta 3: adipose tissue, heart and skeletal muscle

Question 24

Adrenergic receptor affinity for NE/E:

Answer 24

Alphas both like NE better.
Beta 1 likes them equally.
Beta 2 only likes E.
Beta 3 doesn’t like anyone.

Question 25

Which adrenergic receptors have excitatory response? inhibitory?

Answer 25

Excitatory: odd numbers.
Inhibitory: even numbers.

Question 26

Degradation of circulating catecholamines:

Answer 26

Catecholamine-O-methyltransferase and monoamine oxidase break them down Real Fast.

Question 27

Hyp pit adrenocortical axis:

Answer 27

Corticotropin-releasing hormone from hyp -> ACTH from ant pit corticotrophs -> synthesis and secretion of cortisol.
AC pathway.

Question 28

Regulators of ACTH:

Answer 28

Mainly CRH, slightly vasopressin.

Question 29

POMC:

Answer 29

Pro-opiomelanocortin. Precursor for ACTH and a bunch of other things.