Thyroid Hormone Metabolism Flashcards
What is iodine?
A crucial element for the production of thyroid hormones, which is essential for mammalian life
Why is an adequate supply of iodide necessary in early life?
To prevent iodide deficiency disorders, because thyroid hormones are crucial for embryonic and postembryonic development
Particularly for which organs or systems is iodine crucial?
CNS
Lungs
Musculoskeletal system
What are thyroid hormones master regulators of?
Cellular metabolism in virtually all tissues at all stages of life
Where can iodine (as iodide) come from?
Only from external sources - mostly food, but also water
Is iodine widely distributed in nature, what is the result of that?
It is not widely distributed in nature, thus, in the past iodine deficiency was common among people in every continent
What is the main national and international effort to incraese iodine intake?
Voluntary or mandatory iodination of salt
What is goiter (goitre)?
A reflection of chronic iodine deficiency
When does goiter become an endemic issue?
In populations where the intake of iodine is less than 10μg per day
What is the long term effects of persistent iodine deficiency?
Can affect growth and mental development in all age groups
What can severe iodine deficiency in mothers and fetuses lead to?
Pregnancy loss and cretinism with:
1. Irreversible mental retardation
2. Neurologic dysfunction
3. Growth retardation
What are the likely clinical manifestations in severe cases of goiter? (3)
- Difficulty in swallowing or breathing
- Loss of voice
- Myxedematous cretinism
What is the likely cause of hoarseness of the voice in severe cases of goiter?
This is likely due to damage to the recurrent laryngeal nerves
What does mild iodine deficiency in school-age children result in?
- Learning disability
- Poor growth
- Diffuse
What does mild iodine deficiency in adults present as?
Mild iodine deficiency is also associated with goiter. Thyroid gland enlargement is often seen with no disturbance in the thyroid function (nontoxic nodular goiter)
What is dietary iodine normally ingested as?
Form of iodide
What is the first step of iodide metaolism?
Iodide absorption in the GIT, and particularly the small intestine
What is the sodium/iodide symporter?
Key glycoprotein on the plasma membrane that actively transports iodide into cells, such as enterocytes and thyroid follicular cells
What is the primary site of iodide storage in the human body?
The thyroid gland contains about 70 to 80% of the body’s total iodine
What is the first step in the metabolism of iodine? How does it begin?
Iodine trapping: this process commences with the uptake of iodide from the capillary into the follicular cells of the gland by an active transport system
Why is there an active transport system for the transport of iodide?
The concentration of iodide in the plasma is so low, the active mechanism is required for the thyroid cell to concentrate the required amounts of this element
What is the active process of iodide transport dependent on? Why?
The presence of sodium gradient across the basal membrane of the thyroid cell, Na+/K+ ATPase.
Sodium is required so that when 2 Na+ ions are transported it results in the entry of one iodide atoma gainst an electrochemical gradient (soidum/iodide symporter)
What is the role of NIS in the lactating mammary gland?
Important role by concentrating iodide in the milk, thereby supplying newborns with iodide for thyroid hormone synthesis
What is the effect of sodium/iodide symporter (NIS)?
Enables thyrocytes to concentrate iodide roughly 30 to 60 fold within the cytosol of thyrocytes
What is the absence of NIS associated with?
Congenital hypothyroidism and goiter unless large quantities of inorganic iodide are provided
Where is NIS functionally expressed endogenously in extrathyroidal tissues?
Salivary glands
Stomach
Intestine
Lactating breast
In which pathologies is NIS funtionally expressed?
Primary and metastatic breast cancers
What is the purpose of the (131) I - treatment?
Targets remnant malignant cells abdominal metastases that actively accumulate the radioisotope via NIS
What is the relation between NIS and radioactive iodine therapy?
The molecule at the center of the remarkably successful treatment for thyroid cancer based on (131)I-, which is administered after thyroidectomy
Where is iodide stored?
In thyroglobulin
After active transport into the thyroid, iodide is stored in the TG protein before undergoing conversion into T3 and T4