Neuroendocrinology Flashcards
What is endocrinology?
The study of hormones, their receptors and their intracellular signaling pathways
What are hormones?
Chemical messengers produced in one location and transported to a second location (target cells) where they exert their effects.
Hormones often reach their targets via the bloodstream.
What concentrations do hormones usually act in?
Low concentrations
What are the principle functions of the endocrine system?
Maintain homeostasis
Regulation of growth and development
Control energy storage and use
Mediate the body’s response to environmental cues
What is autocrine?
Effect on itself.
Where the cell-produced substance has an effect on the cell by which it is secreted.
What is paracrine?
Signalling cell having effect on the target cells only in the vicinity of the gland secreting it.
What is endocrine?
Endocrine cells secrete hormone into the bloodstream - therefore have widespread effect.
What is neurocrine?
Neurocrine is a type of chemical signaling that is facilitated by the neurons or nerve cells. The neuron’s release chemical messenger molecules called a neurotransmitter into their synaptic cleft which then diffuses across it and acts on its target cells.
(In bloodstream).
What is the chemical classification of peptides?
Short protein chains of about 2 to 50 amino acids.
What is the chemical classification of proteins?
A molecule made up of amino acids.
What are amines derivates of?
Derivates of tyrosine amino acid.
What are steroids synthesised from?
Synthesised from cholesterol
What are prostaglandins synthesised from?
Synthesised from arachidonic acid
What is synergy?
The effect of the combination of two or more substances being greater than that of their individual reactions combined.
Name 11 important endocrine glands:
Hypothalamus
Pineal Gland
Pituitary
Thyroid
Parathyroid
Adrenal
Pancreas
Kidney
Ovaries (female)
Testes (male
Adipose Tissue
Name 6 organs containing endocrine cells:
Thymus
Heart
Liver
Stomach
Kidney
Intestine
What gland controls the circadian rhythm?
Pineal Gland
What time of the day are bowel movements suppressed?
22:30 (10pm)
What time of the day do we have highest coordination?
14:30 (2:30pm)
What time of the day is our fasted reaction time?
15:30 (3:30pm)
What time of the day is greatest cardiovascular efficiency and muscle strength?
17:00 (5:00pm)
What time of the day is the highest body temperature?
19:00 (7:00pm)
What time of the day does melatonin secretion start?
21:00 (9:00pm)
What time of the night are we in our deepest sleep?
2:00am
What time is lowest body temperature?
4:30am
What time is the sharpest rise in blood pressure?
6:45am
What time does melatonin secretion stop?
7:30am
What time is bowel movement likely?
8:30am
What time is the highest testosterone secretion?
9:00am
What time is highest alertness?
10:00am
What is the hormone secreted by the pineal gland?
Melatonin
Where does the pineal gland secrete melatonin to?
Bloodstream
Where does melatonin feedback to?
The suprachiamatic nucleus (SCN) located in the hypothalamus.
What does melatonin act as?
Zeitgeber (“time-giver”) - as it acts on the SCN where the circadian clock is located.
What are the functions of the hypothalamus and pituitary gland?
Water balance
Metabolism
Body growth
Reproduction
Milk secretion
What is the difference between the Anterior pituitary and posterior pituitary?
The anterior pituitary gland is connected to the brain by short blood vessels.
The posterior pituitary gland forms part of the hypothalamus/brain and secretes hormones directly into the bloodstream under the command of the brain. The PPG does not synthesise hormones itself but stores and secretes two hormones produced by the hypothalamus (oxytocin and antidiuretic hormone (ADH)/vasopressin).
What is the median eminence?
“window” of the brain - direct connection from brain to bloodstream
What are the six hormones produced by the hypothalamus?
CRH - Corticotropin-releasing hormone
TRH - thyroid releasing hormone
GnRH - Gonadotropin-releasing hormone
GHRH - Growth hormone releasing hormone
SS - Somatostatin
DA - Dopamine
What are the five hormones produced by the anterior pituitary?
ACTH - Adrenocorticotropic hormone
TSH - Thyroid stimulating hormone
LF/FSH - Follicle-stimulating hormone
GH - Growth hormone
PRL - Prolactin
What are the five peripheral target tissues of hypothalamus and pituitary axes?
Adrenal gland
Thyroid gland
Gonads
Liver and other
Breast
Do hypothalamus hormones have direct effects on the body?
No - they just release hormones that then have effects directly on the body (same for some anterior pituitary hormones).
What hypothalamus hormone excites ACTH?
CRH
What hypothalamus hormone excites TSH?
TRH
What hypothalamus hormone excites LH/FSH?
GnRH
What two hormones have an effect on GH?
GHRH - excites
SS - inhibits
What hormone inhibits PRL?
DA
What anterior pituitary hormone has its effect on the breasts?
PRL
What anterior pituitary hormone has effect on gonads?
LH/FSH
What anterior pituitary hormone has effect on thyroid gland ?
TSH
What anterior pituitary hormone has effect on Adrenal gland?
ACTH
What anterior pituitary hormone has effect on liver and other tissues?
GH
What does hypophysiotrophic hormone mean?
Means they have their effect on anterior pituitary gland.
What is the name of the cells that produce GH?
Samatrophs
Where are GHRH receptors located?
On the membrane of samatrophs
Is GH released from vesicles?
Yes - GH is released from vesicles inside the samatroph cells - exocytosis is stimulated by Ca2+ influx into the cell.
How does GHRH result in GH being released via exocytosis?
GHRH acts on GHRH receptors on the membrane of samatroph cells - this causes the production of adenyl cyclase –> cAMP –> PKA –> opening of Ca2+ channels –> influx of Ca2+ causes exocytosis of GH
How does SS inhibit GH release?
SS inhibits adenyl cyclase therefore PKS is not produced and Ca2+ channels not opened which stimulated exocytosis.
What does growth hormone (GH) stimulate?
Postnatal growth and development, metabolism and body composition
What is the pattern of GH secretion?
Bursts (pulsatile)
What type of hormone is GH?
Peptide hormone
What pattern of release does GH have?
diurnal (but not a true circadian rhythm - always being released but just elevated during the night)
What is the half life of GH in the blood?
20-25 minutes
How is GH transported in the blood?
Bound to growth hormone binding protein
What is GHRH stimulated by?
Exercise, stress, fasting, low glucose and sleep
What nucleus are GHRH neurons in?
Arcuate nucleus
What nucleus are somatostatin neurons in?
Periventricular nucleus
Where are magnocellular neurosecretory cells located?
Supraoptic and paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus.
What are the indirect growth effects of GH?
Stimulates the growth of bones, muscles and other tissues by stimulating cell division (mitogenesis) via insulin-like growth factor (INDIRECT).
What is the rate limiting reaction in the conversion of cholesterol into other hormones?
The removal of the p450 side chain
What are the direct growth effects of GH?
Stimulates protein synthesis in muscle (DIRECT).
What are the direct metabolic effects of GH?
Increases blood glucose by stimulating glucose synthesis (in liver) and inhibiting cellular uptake of glucose.
Increases triglyceride breakdown and free fatty acid mobilisation in adispose tissue.
What is giganticism a result of?
Excess GH production (generally caused by tumour of the pituitary)
Where are the neuron’s of the posterior pituitary gland?
supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei
What are the two hormones secreted by the posterior pituitary gland?
Oxytocin and Vasopressin (anti-diuretic hormone)
What is Vasopressin (ADH) secreted in response to?
Increase plasma osmotic pressure or decreased blood volume
What does vasopressin inhibit?
urine production (diuresis) in the kidney
How does vasopressin increase blood pressure?
Vasoconstriction - cause blood vessel contraction
What does oxytocin act on?
Kidney to promote sodium excretion (natriuresis)
What does oxytocin do to the breasts?
milk ejection = Contracts mammary ducts for milk let-down during suckling
What effect does Oxytocin do during birth?
Causes uterine contraction
What is a disease caused by impaired or absent secretion of vasopressin?
Diabete insipidus (a disorder of salt and water metabolism marked by intense thirst and heavy urination)
What are the four zones of the adrenal gland cortex and what do they produce?
Capsule - doesn’t produce hormones
Glomerulosa - produces aldosterone
Fasciculata = produces cortisol
Reticularis = produces androgens
Can’t Go For Run
What are the two zones of the adrenal gland?
Cortex (80%)
Medulla (20%)
What is the precursor of adrenal cortex hormones?
Cholesterol
What is cholesterol converted into when its side chain is removed?
Pregnenolone
What are glucocorticoids?
Cortisol
Corticosterone
What is a mineralocortcoid?
Aldosterone
What is the sex steroid precursor?
Androstenedione
What are the functions of aldosterone?
Acts to maintain fluid volume
Increases the reabsorption of sodium and water
Increase secretion of potassium
Increases water retention and therefore increases BP
What is the main site of action for aldosterone?
Kidney
What receptors do aldosterone bind to?
Mineralocorticoid receptors (MR)
What is HRE?
Hormone Response Element
What are ENaC, what activates them and what do they cause?
Epithelial Na+ Channel
They are activated by aldosterone (aldosterone is released from the adrenal gland and because it is a steroid hormone it freely diffuses into cells - typically cells of kidney collecting duct - it then binds to a receptor in the nucleus and causes transcription. As a result of transcription is the production of proteins that act as enzymes and activate ENaC and NaKAtpase).
Activation of ENaC causes an influx of Na+ into the cell and therefore creating an osmotic gradient and water moves from apical to interstitial side of the cell (follows electrolytes).
What ions are electrolytes?
Sodium and Potassium
Where are ENaC found?
In the collecting duct and distal tubules of membranes of kidney cells (these are sites that help reabsorb sodium ions from the urine back into the bloodstream).
What happens when aldosterone activates ENaC (in kidney collecting duct cells)?
ENaC allows for the selective transport of sodium ions from the tubular fluid into the interior of the epithelial cells lining the tubules (= causes sodium to move from extracellular space into the cell)
As sodium is actively transported into the cells they create a concentration gradient - with higher concentrations of sodium inside the cells compared to tubular fluid.
This creates an osmotic gradient, where water follows sodium ions passively
Ultimately it leads to increase sodium reabsorption and water retention.
What role does Renin have in control of aldosterone release?
Renin is a protein produced in the kidney.
It has an indirect effect in the aldosterone pathway - renin converts enzyme angiotensinogen produced by the liver into angiotensin 1.
A1 is then converted to A2 by an enzyme produced in the lungs.
A2 then acts on the adrenal gland.
When there is reduced extracellular fluid which hormone is secreted to retain water?
Aldosterone
What is the direct pathway of aldosterone release?
K+ increase directly leads to aldosterone secretion.
What is the more metabolically active glucocorticoid in the human body?
Cortisol
Corticosterone is less metabolically active.
How is cortisol synthesised and released?
Hypothalamic CRH stimulates the released of ACTH from the pituitary.
ACTH binds to MC2R on adrenal cortical cells. MC2R is a GPCR therefore leads to increase in cAMP and activation of PKA. This cascade results in enhanced expression of P450scc enzymes culminating in the increased synthesis and release of cortisol (cholesterol –> prenenolone –> cortisol).
How is CRH regulated (direct and indirect)?
ACTH directly inhibits CRH = direct
ACTH acts on the Adrenal gland which produces cortisol - cortisol inhibits ACTH and CRH = indirect
What is the main functions of cortisol in the body?
Generate glucose from the liver and other body substrates
Increase glucose production for energy by increasing gluconeogenesis and stimulates glycolysis