Endocrine System Flashcards
(130 cards)
What are the organs of the endocrine system?
1) pineal gland
2) hypothalamus (neuroendocrine organ)
3) pituitary gland
4) thyroid gland
5) parathyroid gland
6) thymus
7) adrenal glands
Contains endocrine tissue:
8) pancreas
9) gonads (ovary & testes)
10) placenta
What is the major functions that are controlled by the hormones?
1) Reproduction
2) Growth & development
3) maintenance of electrolyte, water, and nutrient balance of the blood
4) regulation of cellular metabolism and energy balance
5) mobilization of body defenses
What is a hormone?
Long distance chemical signals which travel trough the blood or lymph
What is meant by autocrines?
Short-distance chemical signals which exert their effects on the same cells which secreted them
What is meant by paracrines?
Short-distance chemical signals, acting locally within the same tissue affecting cells other than the ones which secreted them (somatostatin released by cells of the pancreas which inhibits the secretion of insulin by other cells of the pancreas)
What is the difference between the endocrine and the nervous system?
1) NS is rapid while Endocrineeis slow
2) NS has short duration response while endocrine has a long-duration
3) NS acts via action potential & neurotransmitters, endocrine via hormones
4) NS specific locations, Endocrine diffuse location
5) NS short distances, Endocrine long distances
What are the types of hormones?
1) Water soluble:
Proteins, peptides, amino-acid based (cannot cross the plasma membrane)
2) Lipid soluble:
Steroid based synthesized from cholesterol (can cross plasma membrane secreted only the gonadal and adrenocortical hormones)
How do hormones act?
1) water soluble via second messengers except thyroid hormone
2) steroid hormones via activating specific genes
What does a hormone typically do?
1) alters the plasma membrane permeability/membrane potential via opening or closing ion channels
2) stimulates the synthesis of enzymes and other proteins within the cell
3) activates or deactivates enzymes
4) stimulates mitosis
How does water-soluble hormones act?
- They act on receptors on the plasma membrane coupled via
G-proteins
1) Hormone (1st Messenger) bind to a receptor on the cell membrane
2) Receptor activates a G-protein, providing it with GTP
3) G-protein activates the enzyme Adenylate Cyclase
4) Adenylate cyclase converts ATP into cAMP (which is the 2nd messenger)
5) cyclic AMP (cAMP “2nd Messenger”) activates protein kinases which triggers responses of target cell
How does lipid-soluble hormones act?
Steroid & thyroid hormones act on receptors inside the cell, directly activating the gene:
1) steroid hormone diffuses through the plasma membrane and binds to an intracellular receptor
2) the receptor-hormone complex enters the nucleus
3) receptor-hormone complex binds to a specific DNA region
4) binding of the receptor-hormone complex initiates the transcription of the gene to mRNA
5) MRNA directs protein synthesis
What are the types of stimuli that causes hormonal release?
1) Humoral stimulus
2) Neural stimulus
3) Hormonal stimulus
What is the mechanism of the humoral stimulus, what type of hormones does it release, from which gland?
It is the release of hormones via the alteration of critical ions or nutrients.
It can release PTH (parathyroid hormone) which is secreted by the parathyroid gland due to the decrease in the level of Ca2+ in the blood other examples includes (Insulin “increased blood glucose”, aldosterone “low Na+ or High “K+” blood levels)
FYI (humor means moisture/body fluid)
What is the mechanism of the neural stimulus, what type of hormones does it release, from which gland?
The release of hormones via neural input due to action potentials
(preganglionic sympathetic fibers - stimulates the medulla of adrenal gland - secrete epinephrine and norepinephrine, in response to stress
What is the mechanism of the hormonal stimulus, what type of hormones does it release, from which gland?
The release of hormone via a tropic hormone
Hormone from the hypothalamus targets - Anterior pituitary gland which secretes hormones that stimulates other endocrine glands (thyroid, adrenal cortex, gonads) it is called “hypothalamic-pituitary- target endocrine organ”
Which type of mechanism regulates most of the synthesis and release of hormone?
Negative feedback mechanism except for some (oxytocin)
How does the nervous system modulate hormone secretion?
In certain situation like when you are under stress, the NS can override the effects of the hormone stimulus releasing more than the normal amount of a certain hormone like when you are under stress it releases more glucose for our cell to be ready for vigorous activity if required
What is required from the cell to respond to a hormone?
It must have the receptor for that hormone either in its interior or on its plasma membrane for that hormone to bind, ACTH receptors are only found on the adrenal cortex, while thyroxine hormone receptor is found on nearly all body cells
What is the action of a hormone?
It stimulates the cell to preform “gene determined” functions acting as a molecular trigger
What determine the degree of target cell activation
1) blood levels of that hormone
2) relative number of receptor
3) affinity (the strength of the binding)
What is meant by up-regulation and down-regulation?
Up-regulation is when the numbers of a specific hormone receptor increases due to low levels of that hormone in the body Dow-regulation is exactly the opposite
Can hormones influence the number of receptors that respond to other hormones?
Yes! Progesterone can down-regulate estrogen while osteogen up-regulates progesterone receptors
How does a hormone circulate in the blood?
1) free
2) bound to a protein carrier (lipid-soluble hormones)
What are the types of hormone interactions?
1) permissiveness
2) synergism
3) antagonism