TCT Full Form

TCT Full Form

Edited By Team Careers360 | Updated on Jan 18, 2023 02:37 PM IST

What is the full form of TCT?

TCT stands for Thyrocalcitonin. Calcitonin is a hormone in vertebrate animals that decreases the ca2+ content of the blood plasma . In amphibians birds, fishes, and reptiles, thyrocalcitonin is secreted by the ultimobranchial bodies, which develop from the last pair of branchial arches, but in mammals, this tissue is represented by the cells of the interfollicular islets of the thyroid gland. Thyrocalcitonin also increases the phosphate excretion in urine. If ca2+ continuously inhibits the reabsorption of ca2+ from the bones and promotes homeostasis and the growth of bone tissue. The important role of ca2+ in periods of bone growth in young animals, lactation in mammals, and pregnancy and egg laying in birds. Phosphate in the body by interaction with the parathyroid hormone, which stimulates the release of ca2+ from the tissue of the bones into extracellular fluid. Calcitonin also acts to decrease serum calcium concentration in several ways.

This Story also Contains
  1. What is the full form of TCT?
  2. 1. Regulation and secretion of calcitonin
  3. 2. Uses of calcitonin
TCT Full Form
TCT Full Form

For example, the activity of osteoblasts in bone tissue inhibits the reabsorption of calcium by the cells of the kidney, preventing the reabsorption (breakdown) of bone and resulting in increased calcium excretion in the urine. Calcitonin levels also increased in association with lung cancer and certain tumors of the pancreas, namely, VIPoma ( a vasoactive intestinal polypeptide -secreting tumor) and insulinoma (an insulin tumor).

1. Regulation and secretion of calcitonin

The definition of calcitonin clearly states that calcitonin is a peptide that is formed by the large prepropeptide, which is a product of the CALC 1 gene. The CALC1 gene is part of a protein hormone superfamily that also includes calcitonin gene-related proteins, islets, amyloid precursor proteins, and the precursor of adrenomedullin.

The main function of calcitonin is to oppose the effects of vitamin D3 and parathyroid hormone.

However, there are other major factors that contributed to the release or secretion of calcitonin or thyrocalcitonin.They are;

  • Calcium ion levels in serum or plasma increased.

  • Stimulated by pentagastrin (a synthetic peptide hormone that performs the same function as pentagastrin but is structurally different) or gastrin (a peptide hormone known to stimulate gastric acid),

2. Uses of calcitonin

Calcitonin has a variety of applications in the pharmaceutical industry and biological science. It can also counteract certain disease conditions that are medically recognised, and it can also be used in labs for experiments.

Some of the applications and uses are given below:

  1. In the pharmaceutical industry, salmon peptide is produced by either chemical peptide synthesis for the treatment of hypercalcemia and osteoporosis or recombinant DNA technology. It has been found that although there are some differences between human and salmon calcitonin, Salmon calcitonin is much more active as compared to human calcitonin. That’s why salmon calcitonin is used in a number of treatments for conditions like-Paget’s disease, postmenopausal disease, phanton limb pair, and bone metastasis. But also, the use of salmon calcitonin is found to be more appreciated by humans because of its subsequent elimination by the body and rapid absorption.

  2. Calcitonin also aids in the restoration or increase of bone mass, particularly in women with type 2 diabetes, which can lead to osteoporosis complications, resulting in a lower fracture risk.

  3. Use of calcitonin is most prominent in the treatment of hypercalcemia or osteoporosis, a condition that is characterized by micro-architectural disorientation and leads to an increase in the risk of fracture, especially in the elderly.

  4. Calcitonin describes a potential for calcitonin function to lead to the treatment of bipolar disorder.

  5. A calcitonin assay has been developed that is used for the early diagnosis of medullary carcinoma ( medullary thyroid cancer) and for the identification of nodular thyroid disease that occurs due to malignancy of parafollicular cells, leading to an increased serum calcitonin level.

  6. It is also used as a tumor marker for medullary thyroid cancer. Increased levels of calcitonin have also been reported in many cases, such as chronic kidney disease, acute kidney injury, gastrointestinal disorders, hypergastrinemia, and pulmonary disease.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Is calcitonin not affected by tyrosine metabolism?

Yes, calcitonin may be affected by tyrosine metabolism because tyrosine is one of the non-essential amino acids. It is the precursor for the synthesis of hormones like thyroxine, epinephrine and melanin pigment, too.

2. How many amino acids are water- soluble peptide hormones in calcitonin?

 calcitonin is the polypeptide hormone ,which is made up of 32 amino acids.

3. What is the main difference between calcitonin and parathyroid hormone?

First of all, both calcitonin and parathyroid hormone help regulate the level of calcium in our body, but the main difference is how they do so and how much they affect calcium levels.

4. Which test measures calcitonin levels?

Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) or cell hyperplasia.

5. Who discovered calcitonin hormone?

In 1962, Drs. Douglas Harold Copp and B. Cheney discovered the calcitonin hormone.

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