Calcitonin is one of the important hormones, which is secreted by the human body. This hormone also has a crucial role to play during pregnancy. Calcitonin production takes place in the parafollicular of the thyroid. The parafollicular is also referred to as C- cells. Calcitonin production happens through the proteolytic cleavage of a larger prepropeptide.
Calcitonin is a protein based hormone. It is to be noted here that the Calcitonin production is also known to take place in the lungs as well as the intestinal tract. It is in these important organs of the human body where Calcitonin is known to get synthesized. There are a number of hormones which are known to help in stimulating the secretion of Calcitonin.
Calcitonin is also known to be a 32 amino acid peptide. Its production takes place when this peptide is cleaved from a larger prohormone. It is made up of a single disulfide bond. This bond provides a circular shape to the armino terminus.
|
The fact that the Calcitonin plays an important role during pregnancy can be attributed to the very nature of the function this hormone carries out. It is to be said here that after the baby is born, the secretion of milk takes place from the breasts. This makes a generous demand on the calcium reserves found in the maternal body. During the period, when mother's milk is fed to the baby, the content of calcium needs to be maintained at the right level. It is at this time that Calcitonin proves to be a boon for the female body. In fact, it is during a pregnancy, that profound transformations take place in calcium metabolism in the female body.
|
|
There is a certain control exercised in Calcitonin production. There is a prominent factor, which controls the secretion of Calcitonin in the human body. This is the presence of the extracellular concentration of the ionized calcium. Elevated levels of calcium in blood encourage and stimulate increased levels of Calcitonin. There is less secretion of this hormone, when the calcium concentration in the body becomes less.
Another major function of this hormone is the regulation of bone development. Calcitonin also helps in the prevention of calcium from moving into the blood stream. Thereby, it plays a major role in the metabolism of calcium and phosphorus too.
For more information on pregnancy and pregnancy related matters, go through the pages of the site pregnancyxl.com.
|
