What is the thyroid gland anterior to?
Cricoid cartilage
What aa. supply the thyroid gland?
- Inferior thyroid a. (from thyrocervical trunk)
Thyroid gland is 2 symmetrical lobes fused by an ___________.
Isthmus
What veins drain the thyroid gland?
Plexus drains into superior, middle, and inferior thyroid veins (to IJV)
What innervates the thyroid gland?
Symp or parasymp?
Middle and inferior cervical ganglion
- Sympathetic NS
What’s the major functional unit of the thyroid gland?
Follicle
What is the name of the internal component of the thyroid gland follicle?
What’s in this compartment, generally?
Colloid
- TH precursor
What cells line the periphery of the thyroid gland’s colloid?
What occurs here?
Thyroid epithelial cells- where synthesis of TH occurs
In addition to thyroid epithelial cells, the thyroid gland houses one other important endocrine cell. Nestled in spaces between thyroid follicles are ____________ (2 names), which secrete _____________.
What are the major components of the colloid?
- T3/T4
What’s the difference in the epithelial architecture of inactive follicles vs active follicles stimulated by TSH?
- Active: cuboidal epithelium
Describe some of the properties of follicular cells in the thyroid gland. (not parafollicular)
(shape, surface features, spatial arrangement)
Thyroid hormones are iodothyryonines that require 2 precursors:
2. Iodide
Less than ____ of iodine daily results in a TH deficiency.
20 micrograms
How is most of the excessive iodide processed?
Secreted into the urine as iodine.
What is the Wolf-Chaikoff effect?
Autoregulation of iodide uptake:
How is the Wolf-Chaikoff effect taken advantage of clinically?
Very high iodide doses are used to rapidly shut down TH production in hyperthyroid pts
What’s another name for T4?
Thyroxine
What’s another name for T3?
Triiodothyronine
What’s the 1/2-life of T4?
T3?
T4: ~ a week
T3: ~ a day
How is T4 found in the blood?
Tightly bound to xport proteins (that’s why it has long 1/2-life)
Which binds to receptors w/high affinity, T4 or T3?
T3 much higher (T4 basically inactive form)
Thyroid hormones are more similar in characteristics to what hormone class?
Steroid hormones
What’s rT3?
Reverse triiodothyronine (biologically inactive)