This set of Molecular Endocrinology Multiple Choice Questions & Answers (MCQs) focuses on “Metabolic Role of Glucocorticoids”.
1. What is the role of glucocorticoids in gluconeogenesis?
a) Increases gluconeogenesis
b) Reduces gluconeogenesis
c) Blocks gluconeogenesis
d) No effect on gluconeogenesis
View Answer
Explanation: Glucocorticoid enhances the mechanism of gluconeogenesis. It induces the synthesis of essential gluconeogenic enzymes such as carboxylase pyruvate, carboxykinase PEP, 1-6-bi-phosphatase fructose and also glucose6-phosphatase.
2. What is the role of glucocorticoids in glycolysis of peripheral tissues?
a) Enhances
b) Reduces
c) Blocks
d) No effect
View Answer
Explanation: The role of glucocorticoids is to improve the blood glucose levels. In the peripheral tissues, they reduce the glycolysis in order improve glucose levels. They promote gluconeogenesis as well as glycogenolysis in order to increase the glucose level. They also reduce the uptake of glucose by adipocytes.
3. What is the effect of glucocorticoid on lipid metabolism?
a) Reduces lipid metabolism
b) Decreases free fatty acids (FFA)
c) Increases free fatty acids (FFA)
d) Blocks lipid metabolism
View Answer
Explanation: In plasma, the net effect of glucocorticoids improves FFA and glycerol. Glycerol is used in the liver for gluconeogenesis. The hydrolysis of oils and fats generates free fatty acids (FFA). Since FFA is less stable than neutral oil, it is more susceptible to oxidation and rancidity.
4. Glucocorticoid action leads to increased blood glucose levels.
a) True
b) False
View Answer
Explanation: Glucocorticoid’s overall influence raises the amount of blood glucose (Hyperglycemia). This is achieved by reducing glucose uptake and utilization in muscles, adipocytes and lymphoid cells by inhibiting the membrane transfer of glucose through these cells.
5. In liver, cortisol enhances urea synthesis.
a) True
b) False
View Answer
Explanation: Cortisol in the liver also improves the synthesis of urea from amino acids. The synthesis of enzymes required for the urea cycle is enhanced by this hormone. Cortisol is a steroid hormone that controls a broad range of body-wide processes, including metabolism and immune response.
6. How does glucocorticoids increases the glycogen synthesis?
a) By deactivating protein-phosphatase-1
b) By activating protein-phosphatase-1
c) By decreasing the synthesis of glycogen synthase
d) By inactivating glycogen synthase
View Answer
Explanation: By activating the protein phosphatase-1, which dephosphorylates and activates glycogen synthase, glucocorticoids boost the mechanism of glycogen synthesis. It also induces the synthesis of glycogen synthase enzyme which has the key role to play in glycogen synthesis.
7. What is the role of glucocorticoids in protein metabolism in the peripheral extrahepatic tissues?
a) Increase protein breakdown
b) Decrease protein breakdown
c) Increase protein synthesis
d) Decrease protein synthesis
View Answer
Explanation: Cortisol is catabolic in peripheral extrahepatic tissues. This enhances protein degradation, leading to increased abundance of ‘amino acids’ in plasma. By inhibiting collagen production, reducing amino acid uptake by tissue, and inhibiting protein synthesis, cortisol increases the free amino acids in the serum.
8. What is the role of glucocorticoids in liver?
a) Increase protein breakdown
b) Decrease protein synthesis
c) Decrease protein breakdown
d) Increase protein synthesis
View Answer
Explanation: Cortisol is anabolic in the liver, increasing protein synthesis. It also increases hepatic amino acid uptake. Hepatic enlargement and steatosis or glycogenosis can result from glucocorticoid use. Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis can be induced or aggravated by corticosteroids.
9. What is the level of glucocorticoids that carry out anti-inflammatory action in the cells?
a) Therapeutic dose
b) Normal cortisol levels
c) Lower than normal levels
d) Higher than normal levels
View Answer
Explanation: There are three methods by which glucocorticoids exert anti-inflammatory effect on cells. There is no anti-inflammatory activity at the normal cortisol level, but therapeutic doses exert an anti-inflammatory effect.
10. What is the action of glucocorticoid on kinin formation which is an anti-inflammatory mechanism carried out by the hormone?
a) Enhances formation of bradykinin
b) Prevents formation of bradykinin
c) Enhances the activity of Kallikrein
d) Blocks the activity of Kallikrein
View Answer
Explanation: One of the three mechanisms by which glucocorticoid exerts its anti-inflammatory action is by preventing the synthesis of bradykinin. It prevents bradykinin formation from the action of Kallikrein, a proteolytic enzyme on alpha-globulin.
11. Which enzyme is inhibited by glucocorticoid in order to decrease the formation of leukotrienes and other molecules for the anti-inflammatory action?
a) Phospholipase A2
b) Phospholipase B2
c) Hydrolases
d) Kinase A1
View Answer
Explanation: Other than the three-basic mechanism by which glucocorticoids exerts its anti-inflammatory action, it also has other mechanisms to carry out this activity. By inhibiting phospholipase A2, it decreases the formation of PGs, PG-I2, Tx and leukotrienes.
12. What is the role of glucocorticoids in immune responses?
a) Inhibits interleukin 1
b) Activates interleukin 1
c) Increase the synthesis of lymphocytes
d) Inhibits interleukin 2
View Answer
Explanation: The production of ‘interleukin-I’ from granulocytes is prevented by glucocorticoids. It lowers the number of circulating lymphocytes (lymphopenia), eosinophils and monocytes. The family of Interleukin-1 (family IL-1) is a group of 11 cytokines that play a key role in controlling the immune and inflammatory responses to infections or sterile insults.
13. How do glucocorticoids act during infections and other allergic states?
a) Increases immune response
b) Decreases immune response
c) Increases lymphocytes
d) Autoimmune response
View Answer
Explanation: Cortisol reduces the immune response associated with allergic reactions and infections. It is also used for the suppression of antibodies. There are inhibitory effects of glucocorticoids (corticosteroids) on a wide spectrum of immune responses. Glucocorticoids are remarkably successful in treating many of the acute disease symptoms of inflammatory and autoimmune disorders because of their inhibitory effects on several forms of immune cells.
14. Why glucocorticoids are used in organ transplantation?
a) Increases antibody production
b) Helps in cell division of the graft
c) Prevents graft rejection
d) Helps in providing minerals to the graft
View Answer
Explanation: The lymphoid tissue mass, the blood circulating lymphocytes, the cellular immunity regulated by T-lymphocytes are all decreased by glucocorticoids, triggering the suppression of immune response. As a result, it is used in organ transplantation because it prevents graft rejection.
15. Why are glucocorticoids used for treatment of bronchial asthma and status asthmaticus?
a) Increases the synthesis of IgA
b) Increases the synthesis of IgG
c) Decreases the synthesis of IgE
d) Prevents the release of histamine
View Answer
Explanation: Glucocorticoid prevents histamine from being released from mast cells. High doses of glucocorticoids in the thymus, spleen, and lymph glands reduce gene transcription and protein synthesis which shifts lymphocytes from circulation to lymphoid tissues. Because of all these effects, it is used as an anti-allergic agent and mainly used in the treatment of bronchial asthma and status asthmaticus.
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