Physiology And Pharmacology Flashcards
Define homeostasis
Dynamic equilibrium in the internal environment of living beings
Homeostatic mechanisms
Counteract changes in internal environment
Types of homeostatic control:
Nutrient and oxygen supply Blood flow Body temperature Removal of carbon dioxide and waste PH
4 main features of body control systems
Communication
Control centre
Receptor
Effector
4 examples of communication in the body
Nervous system → action potentials
Endocrine → hormones
Paracrine → local hormones
Autocrine → signalling molecules released by the cell that act on the same cell
Role Of control centre
Determines set point for homeostasis
Analyses input and determines response
Eg brain
Receptor
Stimuli acts on a sensor that signals the control centre= afferent pathway
Afferent pathway affects brain
Effector
Control centre sends stimuli to effector - efferent pathway
Efferent pathway= brain does something to cause effect
Feed back loops
Positive and negative
Feedback loops help stop disease
Negative feedback loop
Effecter opposes stimulus
Eg thermoregulation
Thermoregulation - hyperthermia
Core temp > 37.2°c
- Signals temperature receptors in skin and hypothalamus
- Communication through afferent nerves to control centre
- Control centre has thermoregulatory centre, hypothalamus
- Response carried by efferent nerves to effector
- vasodilation
- increased sweating
Thermoregulation, hypothermic
Core temp <37.2°c
- Signals temperature receptors in skin and hypothalamus
- Communication through afferent nerves to control centre
- Control centre has thermoregulatory centre, hypothalamus
- Response carried by efferent nerves to effector
- vasoconstriction
- increases metabolism and shivering
- decreased sweating
Positive feedback
Stimulus produces response which increases effect of stimulus
Out of control system → catastrophic change
Eg- blood clotting, ovulation, muscle contraction in child birth
Circadian / diurnal rhythm
- Biological process that displays an untrainable oscillation-within an organism of about 24 hours
- things occur at different set points during the day
Circadian / diurnal rhythm examples
Blood cortisol - pecks at 7am, body gets ready for action, dips at 7pm and rises overnight to reach 7 am peak
Biological clock built into hypothalamus
Menstrual cycle
Melatonin → secreted at night levels decrease during day
Clinical applications - pyrexia (fever)
• Raises core body temp above set point to speed up immune system
PGE2 acts on thermoregulatory centre to reset the set points to a higher value
- PGE2 is formed when enzyme cycle-oxygenase 2 acts on arachidonic acid
- anti fever drugs like paracetamol block the enzyme and inhibit PGE2 production so set points and temperature can’t be increased - no fever
Chincal applications of hyperthermia and hypothermia
Artificially induced hyperthermia= used in some cancer treatments
Artificially induced hypothermia= used in treatment of stroke, traumatic head injury, brain and cardiac surgery to reduce tissue carnage
Where is water distributed
- Extracetular fluid= interstitial fluid between cells
- intracellular fluid - water in the cells
- blood plasma
Body water
70 kg mole = 42l water
Osmolarity of blood plasma
Increase osmolarity (a lot of solute compared to water)
release ADH from pituitary
Increase reabsorption of water from urine → blood
Leading to decreased osmolarity
HPA axis _ hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis
CRH released from hypornalamus
CRH stimulates secretion of ACTH from anterior pituitary gland
ACTH transported through blood and acts on adrenal cortex
-ACTH inhibits CRH release
- cortisol inhibits release of CRH and ACTH
Ligand
Small molecule that binds specifically to receptors site
Agonist
Birds to receptor and activates it
Antagonists
Bird to receptors but do not activate, block it instead
Endogenous
Naturally formed within the body
4 types of endogenous signalling molecules
Endocrine - hormones
Paracrine - local hormones
Autocronine- act on themselves
Neurotransmitters
Exogenous
Substances from outside the body that we introduce in the body
- drugs
- hormones used as drugs = insulin - adrenaline
- drugs that mimic hormones (hydrocortisone acts as cortisol)
Endocrine system - signaling molecule examples
Hydrophilic 1 amines → amino acid derivatives, small charged and hydrophilic act as receptors in membrane - synthesis of second messengers
Hydrophilic 2 peptides and proteins → short chains to complexes receptors in membrane - synthesis of second messengers
Lipophinlic -steroids → derived from cholesterols, intracellular receptors can pass through membrane - nuclear, receptor hormone complex controls transcription and stability
Paracrine signalling molecules exumpees
Eicoscenoids - important for inflammatory response
- prostaglandin
- leukotrin
Cytosine - communication in immune system
- interleukines
- chemokines
Neurotransmitters examples
Amino acids
- glutamate - excitatory
- glycine - inhibitory
- GABA - inhibitory
Monoamines
- adrenaline-excitatory
- noradrenaline - excitatory
- dopamine - excitatory and inhibitory
- serotonin - excitatory
Peptides
-acetylcholine
Signal transduction process
- Receptors capture extracellular changes in environment
2. Receptor transmits change into intracellular environment
4 targets for drugs
Receptors
Ion channels
Transporters
Enzymes
4 receptor (rite) sub types
Kinase linked receptors
Ion channel
Nuclear / intraceliaar
G protein coupled receptors
Kinase linked receptors (king) example
Tyrosine kinase
- Exist as 2 monomers when inactive
- Ligand molecule binds to each monomer to activate it → monomers join to form dimer
- Activates phosphorylation of tyrosine in receptor = conformational change
- Now receptor can bind to activate previously inactive proteins through phosphorylation
.
Ion channels / ligand gated (king) (rite) examples
Enables flow of ion down electrochemical gradient
Eg
- calcium channels
- nicotinic acetylcholine receptor - 2 acetylcholine molecules bind to receptor causing conformational change= channel opens up allow entryof sodium ions
I. Normally inactive
- When bound by ligand - channels open for as long as ligand is bound
- Changes membrane permeability to ion, allows entry
Nuclear / intracellular receptor examples (king)
Ligand that binds to receptor must be lipid soluble
- Receptors bind to ligand
- Ligand receptor complex migrates to nucleus
- Complex binds to gene transcription factor - activates / inactivated it
Ligand examples= thyroid hormones + vitamin D as they resemble steroids
G protein couple receptors example (king)
Gs = stimulatory
Gi - inhibitory
Gq = act on other things
Variety of ligands act on these receptors (neurotransmitters and hormones)
Transporters examples (rite)
SSRIs eg fluoxetine antidepressant
- innibrits reuptake of serotonin so it remains in synaptic cleft longer.
PPIs proton pump inhibitors eg omeprazole
- inhibits H.+ influx (movement) into stomach to keep it less acidic
- reduce gastric reflux
Loop diuretics
- increase sodium, potassium, chorine ion symport activity
- treat fluid retention
Enzymes (rite) examples
Convert signalling molecules to different forms
- aspirin binds to cyclo oxygenase enzyme
Competitive inhibition
Methods to measure core body temp
- ear = most common
- forehead
- oral
- armpit
- rectum
3 aspects of signal transduction
→ respond to signals by producing a series of cascading signal events resulting in a response
1. Reception of the signal
2 transduction
3. Response
Receptors - signal transduction
- > can be intracellular (in cytoplasm) but majority of extracellular signalling molecules don’t cross membrane
- as receptors are usually located as cell surface they used transduction pathway to generate a response
GPCR structure
Located within plasma membrane
3 components
- inactive G protein made of 3 subunits - alpha, beta,gamma
- receptor
- inactive effector
Exiracelular regions-e
Cystolic regions-c
- transmembrane regions hi-h7
GPCR mechanism of action overview
- Ligand binds to gpcr → conformational changes lg protein)
- GPCR activates the guanine nucleotide binding protein
- Conformational changes happen and effector is activated
4 leading to production of secondary mess angers - amplification
GPCR agonists
Bind to receptors and activate response = signal transduction
Beta2 adrenoreceptor agonists - salbutamol, salmetrol
U opioid receptor agonists - morphine, fentanyl
GPCR antagonists
Bind to receptor but do not activate it - block effects
- beta adrenoreceptor antagonists - propranolol, atenolol d2
- dopamine receptor antagonists - haloperidol,sulpride
How does gpcr activate G protein
- Inactive gpcr - no ligand binding so G protein alpha subunit is bound to GDP
- Ligand binds to gpcr = conformational changes to gpcr and G protein
- GDP released from alpha subunit on G protein and GTP is bound = activated G protein
- Alpha subunit bound to GTP dissociates from beta gamma subunit
- Subunits can now interact with effector proteins
When signal is weak - opposite happens, alpha subunit releases G tp due to conformational changes and binds GDP
Gi
Inhibits adenylyl cyclase
Gs
Stimulates adenylyl Cyclades
Gq
Effects phospholipase c
Alpha subunits and adrenaline/noradrenaline pathway
Beta adrenoreceptor G.s stimulates adenylyl Cyclase - increase cAMP
Alpha 2 adrenorecptor gi inhibits adenylyi cyclase - decrease cAMP
Alpha subunits and acetylcholine pathway
Alpha adrenoreceptor Gq - stimulates phospholipase c
m 2 muscarinic gi inhibit adenylyl cyclase
m 3 muscarinic gq stimulate phosprolipase c
Effector - adenylyl cyclase
- Same signal can produce both a stimulartory alpha subunit - more cAMP or an inhibitory alpha subunit - less cAMP
Calcium ions in intracellular fluids
Normally maintained at extremely low concentration inside cells at a concentration at least 10000 times less than in extracellullar fluid
Calcium in extracellullar fluid
Free calcium
Protein bound calcium
Chelated calcium - bound to complexes
Regulation of calcium
Regulated by parathyroid hormone - stimulates calcium release and activates vitamin D which increases calcium absorption
Dysregulation of calcium ions
Hypercalacemia
Hypocalacaemia
Physiological functions of calcium ions
- Muscle contraction = action potential that releases calcium stored in sarcoplasmic reticulum
- gene expression
- apoptosis
- second messengers
- fertilisation
- hormone release
- metabolism
3 storage spaces for calcium ions
- extracellular fluid
- cytoplasmic endoplasmic reticulum
- mitochondria
3 calcium extrusion protein
ATP dependent
- SERCA = is a calcium ATP ase that actively transports calcium into the er
- PMCA = plasma membrane calcium ATP ase actively transports calcium from cytoplasm to the outside of the cell
Transporter mechanism
- NCX = sodium calcium exchanger that uses sodium gradient to drive calcium, 3 sodium needed to move one calcium
Mechanisms that increase intracellular calcium.
- voltage operated (gated) calcium channels - at significant depolarisation channels open and calcium moves into cell
- ligand gated channels - open when bound by a ligand cause influx of calcium
IP3R channels = ligand bind t activate receptor associated to G protein that associates with phospholipase C - produce IP3 that acts as a ligand and induces efflux of calcium former
Ryanodine receptor = increase calcium in er which causes it to open and release calcium into cytosol - storage operated
Increase cytosolic calcium.
- influx of extracellular calcium from PMCA
- influx calcium from internal stores ligand gated channels
Decrease cytosolic calcium
ATP dependant= SERCA + PMCA
Transporter=NCX
Calcium sensors
Calcium signalling may be mediated using ere binding of calcium to proteins that go and regulate other proteins
Calmoduin
- calcium binds to calmodulin
- Binding causes conformational change in calmodulin structure
- Modifies and interacts with target proteins
3 properties of membranes
Communication
Reception
Selectivity
General structure of plasma membranes
Phospholipid bilayer Integral proteins Peripheral proteins Carbohydrates Schwann cells
What can move across the membrane
Hydrophobic, small uncharged polar molecules → pass through membrane via passive diffusion
Large uncharged polar molecules → pass through membrane via facilitated diffusion
- channel proteins
- carrier proteins
Proteins - plasma membrane
Integral: span whole width membrane from one side to another
Peripheral: only present on one side of the belayer
Structure + selectivity Functions: - produce signals - response - communicate
Carbohydrates- plasma membrane
Glycoproteins
Glycolipids
Glycocalx
Cell recognition
Plasma membrane atpases
Use energy from ATP hydrolysis to transport ions and molecules against the concentration grader
Sodium potassium atpase
Removes 3 sodium ions from inside cell and allows 2 potassium ions to enter
- regulation of calcium ion concentration
- regulation of ph
- regulation of cell volume
- regulation of ion gradients and nutrient uptake
Sodium potassium ATP ase and control of calcium
- Sodium potassium ATP ase hyclrolyses ATP allows ion gradient by reducing the sodium ions concentration in cells (3 move out)
2 drives action of NCX exchanger that exchange 3 sodium for 1 calcium
- direction of ion exchange depends on membrane potential
- in polarised cells calcium is transported out of the cell and sodium moves in
- in depolarised cells sodium is transported out of the cell and calcium moves in
4 ion transporters controlling intracellular calcium
PMCA - exchange calcium for hydrogen - remove calcium from cell
SERCA - exchange calcium for hydrogen - pump calcium into er
NCX - exchange calcium for sodium
Calcium uriporters move calcium into mitochondria
Sodium potassium ATP ase, NCX and the heart
Ventricular systole - pumping - cells are depolarised calcium enters through NCX
Ventricular diastole - filling -polarised cells, calcium leaves through NCX
4 transporters that regulate intracellular ph
NHE - sodium hydrogen exchanger, acid extrusion remove h+ ions
NCBE - co transporter, transports ions (sodium, chloride, hydrogen, carbonate) allows alkali influx and acid extrusion
NBC - co transporter allows influx of sodium and carbonate ions - alkali influx
AE- anion exchanger - alkali extrusion (acidifies cell)
Cellular ph regulation
Regulated by movement of hydrogen or carbonate ions
Alkalinisation of ph (too alkali) activates AE or NBC to remove carbonate ions and reduce ph
Acidification of ph (too acid) activates NHE or NBC to remove hydrogen ions and increase ph
Cell volume regulation
Sodium, potassium and chloride ions regulate osmotic stability of cells → control cell size by manipulating movement of ions as water follows ions
- cells extrude ions in response to swelling (efflux) - hypotonic stress
- cells influx ions in response to cell shrinking - hyertonic stress
Ions in intracellular fluid
High potassium
Low sodium, calcium, chloride
Ions in extracellular fluid
Low potassium
High sodium, calcium, chloride
2 synapse types
Chemical
Electrical
Electrical synapses
→ synaptic celft is bridged by proteins called connexons that from a connexon = allow direct passage of an action potential from one neuron to another
- Found on Neuronal and non-neuronal cells
- direct transfer of ionic current
Chemical synapse
→ neurotransmitter is released into the synapse by presynaptic neuron and effect post synaptic neuron
- Occurs in brain, spinal cord, autonomic nervous system, and skeletal muscle
Normal synapse with vesicles
3 types of synapse ‘
- axodendritic: axon terminal to dendrites of neighbouring cell
- axosomatic: axon terminal to soma of neighbouring cell
- axoaxonic: axon terminal to axon of neighbouring cell
Convergence
several presynaptic neurons communicate to one postsynaptic neuron at the same time
Divergence
single presynaptic neuron communicates with many postsynaptic neurons
Asymmetrical synapse
Excitatory
Symmetrical synapse
Inhibitory
3 classifications of neurotransmitters
Amino acids
Amines
Peptides
3 neurotransmitters
Glutamate
GABA
Glycine
Glutamate
Most abundant in brain
Present in all cells
1. Glutamate released 2. Acts on glutamate receptors – sodium channels 3. Channeles open 4. Depolarise membrane
GABA
an inhibitory neurotransmitter of the brain synthesized only by neurones that release them
1. GABA released 2. Binds to GABA type A receptor 3. Conformational change 4. Open up chloride ion channel 5. Hyperpolarise membrane
Glycine
Inhibitory neurotransmitter of spinal cord
Steps of neurotransmitter release
- As action potential sweeps down membrane, voltage gated calcium channels detect depolarisation
- Opens calcium channels
- Influx of calcium ions
- Raises intracellular calcium levels
- Activates mechanism to transport vesicle to membrane
- Vesicles fuse with membrane
- Neurotransmitter release
3 ways to remove neurotransmitter
- Diffusion = neurotransmitter diffuses away
- Reuptake mechanism into presynaptic terminals using proteins recycle
- Enzymatic degradation – enzyme breaks down neurotransmitter
Why remove neurotransmitters from the synapse
it it remains around a receptor it will continue to stimulate the receptor
receptor desensitisation
Depolarising EPSP -excitatory post synaptic potential
e.g. glutamate and sodium ion channels, glutamate binds and opens up sodium ion channels = deoplarise membrane
Hyperpolarising IPSP inhibitory post synaptic potential
e.g. GABA and chloride ions – GABA acts on receptor, opens chloride ion channel,membrane more permeablt to ions = hyper polarise
Quanta
Smallest unit in which transmitter is released
- Number of quanta may vary but quantal size if fixed
Temporal summation
• Neuron fires action potential causes release of action potentials in sequential fashion
- summation of stimuli in close span of time at same synapse
Spatial summation
. • Several neurons fire action potentials at one target neuron
- summation of stimuli at more than one synapse on some cell
2 factors affecting synaptic transmission
Distance of synapse from spike initiation zone
- stronger when closer to spike initiation zone
Depolarisation decreases with distance
Presynaptic modulation
• Receptors on the presynaptic terminal may regulate the release of the neurotransmitter
Can inhibit neurotransmitter release
Can stimulate more release of neurotransmitter
Inhibitory modulation
- receptors hyperpolarise cell
- lack of signal for vesicle to fuse with active zone
- inhibit calcium or potassium channels to inhibit neurotransmitter release
2 types of presynaptic receptors
- autoreceptors
- heteroreceptors
Autoreceptors
receptor recognises the transmitter that is released from that terminal of that neuron
Heteroreceptor
recognise other transmitters which are different from that released by that terminal
Motor neurons
→ one motor neuron can innervate many muscle fibres
-axons run out from ventral root.
Motor neurons receive input from
- Upper motor neuron in brain
- Sensory inputs from muscle spindles
- Spinal interneurones – linke between sensory input and motor output
Motor unit
Alpha motor neuron and the muscle fibre it innervates
Neuromuscular junction structure
- Large number of active zone = large neurotransmitter release
- folded motor end plate - increases surface area and number of receptors
Neuron and muscle cell junction
Neurotransmitter release (nmj)
- Depolarisation ap opens voltage-gated Ca2+ channels (i.e. increased PCa)
- Ca2+ enters nerve terminal down electrochemical gradient – significant influx of calcium ions (increases intracellular calcium)
- fusion of vesicles with presynaptic membrane - Acetylcholine (ACh) released into neuromuscular junction
Neurotransmitter binding (NMJ)
- ACh binds to receptor (nicotinic AChR- 2 ACh each bind to one of 2 alpha subunits) on postsynaptic membrane (end-plate)
- These receptors are ligand gated ion channels
- Binding (conformational change) opens up the ion channel permeable to sodiuma and potassium ions
- Membrane is much more permeable to sodium ions, sodium ion influx = depolarisation of membrane to-20mv end plate potential
Transmission of electrical signals at NMJ
- fast
• EPP generated by ligand-gated channels → depolarise to –20mV opening voltage-gated channels(for sodium) (generate AP) - threshold for ap easily passed due to large number of sodium channels
Nicotinic receptor
- Ligand-gated ion channel, 5 protein subunits (two alpha’s) which span plasma membrane
- 2 alpha subunits – have binding sites for ACh, 2 ACh molecules must bind to activate receptor
Binding = pore opens
How is acetylcholine removed
Acetylcholine that dissociates from receptor is hydrolysed by acetylcholinesterase to form:
- acetyal groups
- choline
Both are recycled - new acetylendine
Myasthenia Gravis
Autoimmune disease → antibodies work against nicotinic receptors bind and block them
- acetylcholine is degraded
Treatment - reduce amount of acetal cholinesterase so more acetylcholine is in the NMJ
5 drugs that affect neuromuscular junction
Hemicholinium Botulinum toxin Tubocurarine Suxameethonium Neostigmine
Botulinum toxin
Blocks release of acetylcholine
Paralysis of skeletal muscle
Hemicholinium
Blocks choline reuptake after acetylcholine is hydrolysed - no new acetylcholine formed
Tubocurarine
Blocks nicotinic receptors
Does not activate them
Suxameethonium
Blocks nicotinic receptors
This drug is 2 acetylcholine molecules bound together that can’t be broken down by acetylcholineesterase
Neostigmine
Inhibits acetylcholinesterase
Used in ancesiresia
Resting membrane potential
- inside is negative
- outside is positive
Voltage across membrane at rest -normally -65 mV
Slightly more permeable to potassium - leaky ion channels
3 factors affecting distribution of electrical charge
- Permeability to different ions
- Concentration gradient across the membrane
- Electrical gradient across membrane (due to voltage)
Membrane permeability
-Ion channels in membrane Greater permeability to an ion means it can easily flow into cell - voltage gated - ligand gated - leak channels
Concentration gradient - ion concentrations
Inside cell
- sodium, calcium, chorine-low
- potassium- high
Outside cell
- potassium -low
- sodium, calcium, chorine - high
Ions move from high → low
Ion pumps
Go against concentration gradient
* The Na-K pump exchanges 3 internal Na + ions for 2 external K+ ions at the expense of ATP (pumps ions against concentration gradient) * The Ca2+ pump transports Ca2+ out of the cell (+ other mechanisms) - intracellular calcium levels = very low
Electrical gradient
Movement of ions depending on charge
- positive → negative
- negative → positive• K+ diffuses down conc gradient to move out of the cell but diffusion is self limiting due to electrostatic repulsion between potassium ions
—> as electrical gradient drives K+ into the cell and conc gradient drives K+ out of cell = equilibrium
Glial cells
Support cells for neurones
Hoover up potassium ions
Nernst equation
- Use x 10-3 to change units
Out/in - equilibrium potential - membrane potential where net flow through any open channel =0
Importance of potassium
- Increasing external potassium - depolarisation
- huge influx of potassium
- toxic in large amounts
- cause arrhythmia or stop heart beating
Depolarisation
Sodium ions move into cell
Membrane becomes more positive
Repolarisation
Sodium ion channels close
Some potassium ion channels open
Hyerpolarisation
More potassium ions move out
Membrane becomes more negative
Threshold potential
Membrane potential required for an ap to form
Steps of an ap
- Resting potential - stimulus triggers change
- Depolarisation = sodium chanels open and starts further depolarisation of the membrane – to reach threshold potential
- Repolarisation - sodium channels close and potassium open
- Hyperpolarisation – undershoots, as excess number of potassium channels are open, excess potassium channels close and potassium leak channels remain
- Sodium potassium at pase works to restoreme membrane potential
Conductance of action potential
Depends on:
- diameter of axon
Longer= faster - myelination
Myelinated= faster conduction skips to next node
In CNS myelin formed by glial cells, in PNS - Schwann cells
Ion conductance
Measure of relative permeability for specific ions (g)
- proportional to current when voltage is consistent
- proportional to number of open ion channels