Thyroid Physiology Flashcards
What is secreted from thyroid gland tissue?
Thyroxin
Tri-iodothyronine
Calcitonin
What is secreted from the parathyroid glands?
Parathyroid hormone
What ion is the parathyroid gland in control of?
Calcium
Where does the thyroid sit?
Between the 5th cervical and 1st thoracic vertebrae
What is the blood supply to the thyroid gland?
Superior and inferior thyroid arteries from the external caroti
Thyroidea ima in some people
What nerve runs alongside the thyroid gland?
Recurrent laryngeal nerve
What drains the thyroid gland?
Superior/ middle thyroid vein which drain into internal jugular
Inferior thyroid that drains into braciocephalic vein
What are the thyroid producing cells?
Follicular cells
What is a colloid?
Tyrosine containing thyroglobulin filled spheres enclosed by follicular cells
What cell produces calcitonin?
Parafollicular C cells
What is the action of calcitonin?
Opposite of PTH - it reduces calcium levels
What ion is needed to make thyroid hormones?
Iodine
In what cell is iodine found in inside follicualr cells?
Pinocytosis
What is the building blocks of thyroid hormones?
Iodine attached to tyrosine residuces on thyroglobulin
Which hormone is more potent - T3 or T4?
T3 is 4x more potent
Where is T4 converted to T3?
In the liver and kidneys - but can be converted in any cell in the body
Which hormone is the major biologically active thyroid hormone?
T3
What does TSH do?
Stimulates the follicualr cell to secrete thyriod hormones
How do T3 and T4 travel around the blood?
Bound to plasma proteins due to the hydoophobic nature
What are the main plasma proteins that thyroid hormones bind to?
Thyroxin binding globulin
Thyroxine binding prealbumin
Albumin
When will the thyroid hormones be biologically active?
When unbound and free in the plasma
How is T4 converted to T3?
Removal of an iodine ion
What receptors do thyroid hormones bind to at a cellular level?
Hybrid nuclear receptors
What do thyroid blood tests measure?
The free levels of T4 and T3
What can increase the total T4 but not free T4?
Pregnancy
OCP