The Endocrine Pancreas 1 Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
1
Q

What is meant by the steady state?

A

Body energy = energy intake (food) - energy output

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What centres impact the amount of eating?

A

Feeding centre promotes feelings of hunger and drive to eat

Satiety centres promotes feelings of fullness by suppressing the feeding centre

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What is activity in both feeding centre and satiety centre controlled by?

A

Complex balance of neural and chemical signals as well as concentration of nutrients in plasma

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What are the 2 theories about food intake?

A

Glucostatic theory

Lipostatic theory

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What is the glucostatic theory?

A
  • food intake determined by blood glucose
  • as [BG] increases the drive to eat decreases
  • -feeding centre, +satiety centre
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What is the lipostatic theory?

A
  • food intake determined by fat stores
  • as fat stores increase the drive to eat decreases
  • -feeding centre, +satiety centre
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What is a hormone released by fat stores that suppreses the activity of feeding centre?

A

Leptin

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What are the 3 categories of energy output?

A

Cellular work

Mechanical work

Heat loss

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What are examples of cellular work?

A
  • transporting molecules across membranes
  • growth and repair
  • storage of energy (such as fat, glycogen, ATP synthesis)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What are examples of mechanical work?

A

Movement, either on a large scale using muscles or intracellularly

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What is heat loss associated with, and how much of total energy output does in use?

A

Associated with cellular and mechanical work

Accounts for half our energy output

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What is metabolism?

A

Integration of all biochemical reactions in the body

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What are the 3 elements of metabolism?

A
  • extract energy from nutrients in food
  • store energy
  • utilise energy for work
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What are anabolic pathways?

A
  • build up
  • net effect is synthesis of large molecules from smaller ones
  • usually for storage purposes
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What are catabolic pathways?

A
  • breakdown
  • net effect is degradation of large molecules into small ones
  • releasing energy for work
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What state do we enter after eating?

A
  • absorptive state
  • ingested nutrients supply the energy needs of the body and excess is stored
  • this is an anabolic phase
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Is the absorptive state an anabolic or catabolic phase?

A

Anabolic phase

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What state is entered between meals and overnight?

A
  • post-absorptive state (fasted state)
  • rely on body stores for energy
  • this is a catabolic phase
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Is the post-absorptive phase anabolic or catabolic?

A

Catabolic

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

The brain is known as an ‘obligatory glucose utiliser’, what does this mean?

A

It has first ‘dibs’ at glucose

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What does failure to maintain [BG] in the post-absorptive state lead to?

A

Hypoglycaemia which can lead to coma and death

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

How is BG maintained during the post-absorptive state?

A

Synthesising glucose from glycogen (glycogenolysis) or amino acids (gluconeogenesis)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

What is glycogenolysis?

A

Synthesising glucose from glycogen

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

What is gluconeogenesis?

A

Synthesising glucose from amino acids

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

What is the only organ that has access to glucose when it falls below the normal range?

A

The brain

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

What is the normal range of [BG]?

A

4.2-6.3mM (80-120mg/dL)

5mmoles is useful to remember

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

What is hypoglycaemia?

A

Plasma glucose concentration falls below 3mM

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

When does hypoglycaemia occur?

A

When [BG] falls below 3mM

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

What 2 hormones are key to [BG] being maintained over a fairly tight range?

A

Insulin and glucagon

30
Q

What percentage of the pancreas operates as an exocrine gland?

A

99%

31
Q

Where does the endocrine function of the pancreas occur?

A

Islets of Langerhans

32
Q

What are the 4 cells present in Islets of Langerhans?

A

Alpha cells

Beta cells

Delta cells

F cells

33
Q

What do alpha cells produce?

A

Glucagon

34
Q

What do beta cells produce?

A

Insulin

35
Q

What do delta cells produce?

A

Somatostatin

36
Q

What do F cells produce?

A

Pancreatic polypeptide

37
Q

Is insulin an anabolic or catabolic hormone?

A

Anabolic

38
Q

Is glucagon an anabolic or catabolic hormone?

A

Catabolic

39
Q

What effects does insulin have that makes it an anabolic hormone?

A
  • increased glucose oxidation
  • increased glycogen synthesis
  • increased fat synthesis
  • increased protein synthesis
40
Q

What effects does glucagon have that makes it a catabolic hormone?

A
  • increases glycogenolysis
  • increases gluconeogenesis
  • increases ketogenesis
41
Q

What class of hormone is insulin?

A

Peptide hormone

42
Q

What does insulin do?

A

Stimulates glucose uptake by cells

43
Q

Explain the process of insulin production?

A
  • synthesised as large preprohormone by ribosomes -preproinsulin
  • converted to proinsulin in ER
  • proinsulin packaged as granules in secretory vesicles
  • within granules it is cleaved again to give insulin and C-peptide
  • insulin stored in this form until B cell is activated and secretion occurs
44
Q

How is insulin secretion stimulated during the absorptive phase?

A

Both glucose and amino acids stimulate insulin secretion, but major stimulus is blood glucose concentration

45
Q

Other than insulin, do any other hormones lower [BG]?

A

No, only insulin lowers blood glucose concentration

46
Q

During the absorptive state, what is excess glucose stored as?

A
  • glycogen in liver and muscles
  • triacylglycerols (TAG) in liver and adipose tissue
47
Q

During the absorptive state, what are excess amino acids used for?

A

To make new proteins with excess being converted to fat, also a form of energy

48
Q

In the absorptive state, what are fatty acids stored as?

A

Triglycerides in adipose tissue and liver

49
Q

Explain the mechanism of control of insulin secretion by [BG]?

A
  1. B cells have a specific type of K channel that is sensitive to [ATP] within the cell (called a KATP channel)
  2. when glucose is abundant, it enters through glucose transporter protein (GLUT) and metabolism increases. increasing [ATP] within cell and causing KATP channel to close
  3. intracellular K rises - repolarising the cell
  4. voltage dependent calcium channels open and trigger insulin vesicle exocytosis into circulation
50
Q

Explain the mechanism of KATP channels in the pancreas when [BG] is low?

A

1) ATP concentration is low so KATP channels are open so K flows out removing the plus charge from the cell and hyperpolarising it
2) Voltage gated calcium channels remain closed and insulin is not secreted

51
Q

What receptor does insulin bind to?

A

Tyrosine kinase receptors on cell membrane of insulin-sensitive tissues to increase glucose uptake by those tissues

52
Q

What does insulin stimulate in muscle and adipose tissue?

A

Mobilisation of specific glucose transporters (GLUT-4) which resides in the cytoplasm of these cells

53
Q

What does GLUT-4 do when stimulated by insulin?

A

Migrates to cell membrane and transports glucose into cell, when insulin stops GLUT-4 transporters return to cytoplasm

54
Q

What do tyrosine kinases always do?

A

Phosphorylate other proteins as part of their signal transduction

55
Q

Do all tissues require insulin to take up glucose?

A

No, most tissues do not - only muscle and fat are insulin dependent

However, muscle and fat take up a large proportion of the body

56
Q

What percentage of body weight is muscle?

A

About 40%

57
Q

What percentage of body weight is fat?

A

About 20-25% (in healthy individual)

58
Q

What are examples of glucose transports that tissues use that are not insulin dependent?

A

GLUT1

GLUT2

GLUT3

59
Q

What are some tissues that use GLUT 1 transporters?

A

Brain, kidney, red blood cells

60
Q

What uses GLUT-2 transporters?

A

B cells of pancreas and liver

61
Q

What are examples of tissues that use GLUT-3 transporters?

A

Similar to GLUT1: brain, kidney, red blood cells

62
Q

How do GLUT tranporters that are not insulin dependent allow glucose to enter cells?

A

Down concentration gradient

63
Q

How does insulin affect entry of glucose into hepatocytes?

A
  • no direct effect (as GLUT-2 transporters are used in liver)
  • but insulin allows more glucose to enter due to causing the metabolism of glucose inside hepatocytes to keep the intracellular concentration low and maintain concentration gradient
64
Q

What are some additional actions of insulin?

A

> increases glycogen synthesis in muscle and liver

  • stimulates glycogen synthase and inhibits glycogen phosphorylase

> increases amino acid uptake into muscle

  • promoting protein synthesis

> increases protein synthesis and inhibits proteolysis

> increases triacylglycerol synthesis in adipocytes and liver

  • stimulates lipogenesis and inhibits lipolysis

> inhibits the enzymes of gluconeogenesis in the liver

> promotes K+ ion entry into cells by stimulating Na+/K+ ATPase

  • very important clinically
65
Q

How can insulin have many different actions?

A

Possible because of multiple signal transduction pathways associated with insulin receptor

66
Q

What is the half life of insulin?

A

About 5 minutes

67
Q

Where is insulin principally degraded?

A

Liver and kidneys

68
Q

What happens to insulin bound receptors once their action is done?

A
  • internalised by endocytosis
  • and destroyed by insulin protease
  • some is recycled
69
Q

What are some examples of stimuli that increases insulin release?

A
  • increased [BG]
  • increased [amino acids]plasma
  • glucagon (insulin required to take up glucose created via gluconeogenesis stimulated by glucagon)
  • incretin hormones controlling GI secretion and motility
  • vagal nerve activity
70
Q

What are examples of incretin hormones controlling GI secretion and motility that stimulate insulin release?

A
  • released by ileum and jejenum in response to nutrients
  • early insulin prevents glucose surge when absorption occurs

> gastrin

> secretin

> CCK

> GLP-1

> GIP

71
Q

What are examples of stimuli that inhibit insulin release?

A
  • low [BG]
  • somatostatin (GHIH)
  • sympathetic alpha2 effects
  • stress (such as hypoxia)
72
Q

Why is the insulin response to an IV glucose load less than the equivalent amount of glucose administered orally?

A
  • IV glucose causes increase in insulin by direct effect of increased glucose on beta cells
  • oral loading of same amount causes increased insulin by both direct effect on beta cells and vagal stimulation of beta cells, plus incretin effects