Lecture 6: Regulation of Calcium and Phosphate Metabolism Flashcards
What is the % distribution of total calcium among ECF, plasma, ICF, bones/teeth?
ECF: 0.1%
Plasma: <0.5%
ICF: 1%
Bones/teeth: 99%
What is the biologically active form of calcium and what is its distribution?
Free, ionized Ca2+ is biologically active
Protein bound: 40%
Ultrafilterable: 60% —> Non-ionized complexed to anions (10%) and Ionized Ca2+ (50%)
How do changes in the plasma calcium concentration influence membrane excitability, hypocaclemia and hypercalcemia?
Hypocalcemia: hyperreflexia, spontaneous twitching, muscle cramp, tingling and numbness
Hypercalcemia: decreased QT interval, constipation, lack of appetite, polyuria, polydipsia, muscle weakness, hyporeflexia, lethary, coma
What are the two “signs” used to indicate hypocalcemic state?
Chvostek sign: twitching of the facial muscles elicited by tapping on the facial nerve
Trousseau sign: carpopedal spasm upon inflation of a blood pressure cuff
How does Hypocalcemia influence the membrane excitability; affect on sensory and motor neurons?
- Reduces the activation threshold for Na+ channels -> easier to evoke AP
- Results in increased membrane excitability (spontaneous APs)
- Generation of spontaneous AP is the physical basis for hypocalcemic tetany (spontaneous muscle contractions due to low extracellular Ca2+)
- Produces: tingling and numbness (on sensory neurons) and spontaenous muscle twitches (on motorneurons and muscle)
How does Hypercalcemia influence membrane excitiability?
- Opposite of hypocalcemia mechanism (decreased membrane excitability)
- Nervous system becomes depressed and reflex responses are slowed
How do changes in plasma protein concentrations alter total Ca2+ concentrations?
- Alter total Ca2+ concentration in the same direction
- Increased plasma protein concentration = increased total Ca2+ concentration
- No change in Ca2+ ionized
How do changes in anion concentrations alter total Ca2+ concentrations?
- If you increase anions, such as the phosphate concentration, you decrease the ionized Ca2+ concentration
- Anions will pick up the ionized Ca2+ increase the amount complexed in non-ionized form
How does acidemia alter the ionized Ca2+ concentration?
- In acidemia there is more H+ which competes w/ Ca2+ for binding sites on albumin.
- Increased H+ will lead to an increase in free ionized Ca2+
How does alkalemia alter the ionized Ca2+ concentration?
- Less H+ in the blood allows for more free ionized Ca2+ to bind to albumin
- This leads to a decrease in the amount of free ionized Ca2+ in the blood, often accompanied by hypocalcemia.
What 3 organ systems and 3 hormones are involved in regulating calcium homeostasis?
Organs: kidney, bone, and intestine
Hormones: PTH, calcitonin, vitamin D (calcitriol)
What hormone stimualtes the absorption of Calcium from the intestine?
Vitamin D
What hormones have an affect on bone resorption?
Activators: PTH and Vitamin D
Inhibitors: Calcitonin
How do the kidneys function to maintain Ca2+ balance; which hormone stimulates reabsorption of Ca2+ from the kidneys?
- Kidneys must excrete the same amount of Ca2+ that is absorbed by the GI tract
- PTH
How is the extracellular concentration of phosphate related to that of Ca2+ and what hormones do the regulation?
- Extracellular concentration of Pi is regulated by the same hormones that regulate Ca2+ concentration
- Concentration of Pi is inversely related to that of Ca2+
What is the % distribution of Pi in the bones, plasma, and ICF?
- Bone: 85%
- Plasma: <1%
- 84% ionized
- 10% protein bound
- 6% complexed
- ICF: 15%
Where is the parathyroid gland located anatomically and what is secreted from here; specifically what cells?
- Posterior side of the thyroid gland
- Chief cells secrete PTH
Describe the structure of PTH; where is it synthesized and how is it made into active form?
- Peptide hormone w/ 1-34th AA being biologically active
- Syntheszied on ribosomes as preproPTH then cleaved to form proPTH followed by transport to Golgi and further cleavage to form PTH before packed into secretory granules
What are the 4 classic regulators of phosphate metabolism?
- Dietary phosphate intake and absorption.
- Calcitriol - increases phosphorus resorption from bone and absorption from intestine. Increases Pi reabsorption in kidney.
- PTH - phosphorus resorption directly from bone, and indirectly activates intestinal absorption through stimulation of calcitriol production.
- Renal tubular reabsorption of phosphorus, which is stimulated by tubular filtered
What is FGF-23 and why it important in the regulation of phosphate concentrations in the plasma?
- Derived from bone
- Phosphate and Vitamin D levels regulated its expression, which in turns regulates phosphate homeostasis
What are the 3 renal effects of FGF-23?
1) Directly downregulates NaPi transporters in kidney
2) Stimulates PTH to downregulate NaPi transporter in kidney
3) Decreases 1,25-dihydroxyD3 (calcitriol) produciton in the kidney
What is the primary stimulus for the secretion of PTH?
Low plasma ionized Ca2+
How is PTH production and secretion regulated by the parathyroid gland; how can it sense Ca2+ levels?
- Calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR)
- Hypercalcemia will causes downstream signaling to block PTH gene and block the release of PTH
- Hypocalcemia will stimulate PTH secretion
How does 1,25-vitamin D have an effect on the parathyroid gland?
- Can cross the membrane into cells of parathyroid and either inhibit the PTH gene
- Can also upregulate the transcription of CaSR gene leading to increased CaSR’s on the surface of the cell membrane
What can mutations in the CaSR gene cause?
Familial hypocalciuric hypercalcemia (FHH)
How does chronic hypercalcemia affect PTH?
- Decrease synthesis and storage of PTH
- Increased breakdown of stored PTH and release of inactive PTH fragment into circulation
How does chronic hypocalcemia affect PTH?
- Increase synthesis and storage of PTH
- Hyperplasia of parathyroid glands (2° hyperparathyroidism)
How does Magnesium, especially severe hypomagnesemia affect PTH?
- Severe hypomagnesemia (result of chronic Mg2+ depletion, as in alcoholism)
- Inhibits PTH synthesis, storage, and secretion
PTH signals through which receptor and what pathways?
- GPCR
- Gs —-> cAMP —-> PKA
- Gq —-> IP3/DAG —–> increase Ca2+ and PKC