Thyroid Hormone Physiology Flashcards
What is the isthmus?
Part if the thyroid gland that wraps around the trachea
What is the thyroid gland made up of?
Follicles that each consist of a monolayer of epithelial cells that enclose a large core of visors, homogenous colloid.
What is colloid?
A reservoir for thyroid hormone
What hormones does the thyroid gland release?
- Triiodothyronine (T3)
- Tetraiodothyronine (T4)
- Calcitonin
What is tyrosine and what is it a precursor of?
An amino acid and it is a precursor or dopamine
What reactions are involved in the synthesis of T3 and T4?
Iodine + Tyrosine —> Monoiodotyrosine (MIT) + Diiodotyrosine (DIT)
MIT + DIT ——> Triiodothyronine (T3)
DIT + DIT ——> Tetraiodothyronine (T4)
What is T4 also known as?
Thyroxine
How can T4 get converted into T3 and where does this occur?
Iodothyronine deiodinase converts T4 into T3 in tissues
What effect does Fe have on thyroid hormones?
Increase
What can happen to MIT and DIT once it is formed?
Halogenases can rapidly degrade them to free the iodide, which then gets re-utilised through combination with thyroglobulin.
What is thyroglobulin a precursor of?
T3 and T4
What percentage of thyroid hormones released by the thyroid gland are T3 and T4 and which of the two is more biologically active?
95% T4
5% T3
T3 is a lot more biologically active
What happens to T4 once it enters target tissues?
Gets converted into T3 (80%) or reverse-T3 (20%)
What is the half-life of T3 and T4
T3 = 1 day
T4 = 6-8 days
How does the action of the hypothalamus lead to the release of thyroid hormones?
1) Hypothalamus releases thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH)
2) TRH then stimulates the release of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) from the anterior pituitary
3) TSH then stimulates the release of T3 and T4 from the thyroid gland