Endocrine System Flashcards
Endocrine System in homeostasis
- Hormones released into the bloodstream travel throughout the body
- results may take hours but the effects last longer
Nervous System in homeostasis
- Release neurotransmitters locally to excite or inhibit nerve, muscle and gland cells
- Results appear in milliseconds but only brief duration of effects
Exocrine Glands
( exit the body, exo)
- Secrete their products into ducts that carry the secretions into body cavities or body surface
- Include sweat, oil mucus, and digestive glands
Endocrine Glands
(enters body, endo)
- Secret ( hormones) into interstitial fluid surrounding the cell instead of into ducts
- Includes pituitary, pineal glands thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal
- not endocrine but secrete hormones: Hypothalamus, thymus, pancreas, ovaries, testes, kidneys, stomach, liver, small intestine, skin, heart, and placenta
General functions of hormones
Help regulate:
- extracellular fluid
- metabolism
- biological clock
- contraction of cardiac and smooth muscle
- glandular secretion
- some immune functions
- growth and development
- reproduction
The role of hormone receptors
- Hormones attach/bind to ONLY their receptors
- like little flags that bind only to their specific hormone, will not bind to any other receptors besides their cells receptors
- Constantly being synthesized and broken down in response to hormone levels or effect
Circulating Hormones
- Most endocrine are circulating hormones
Use blood as a highway - act on distant targets
- travel and linger in the blood
Linger in the body and effects last minutes to hours
Local Hormones
Act locally on neighboring cells or same cell that secreted them without entering the bloodstream
two types
- paracrines and autocrines
Inactivated quickly
Chemical class of hormones
Soluble in lipids and soluble in water
Solubility affects the drug delivery, mechanism of action, and need for transport proteins
Liquid- soluble hormones
Most bind to transport proteins to be carried in blood
this makes them temporarily water soluble, this increases their solubility in blood
-Has carbon rings
-usually end in -one or -ol
Steroids: Aldosterone, androgens, calcitriol, cortisol, estrogens,proestrogene testosterone
Thyroid: T3 and T4
Nitric oxide: NO gas
Water-soluble hormones
Most circulate in plasma in a free unattached form
Amine hormones:
Peptide and Protein
Eicosanoids
Hormone transporting the blood
water-soluble hormones circulate in watery blood plasma.
Lipid- soluble hormones ( steroids and thyroid) must attach to transport proteins synthesized by the liver
What are the general mechanisms of hormone action
Hormones bind to cell surface or receptors inside target cell
Cells then:
-synthesize new molecules
-change permeability of membrane
-alter rates of reactions
Each target cell responds to hormones differently
Actions of lipid soluble hormones
Steps
- Diffuse through membrane
- Bind to the receptor( that is inside of target cells) in cytosol/nucleus turning on/off specific genes, aka alters gene expression
- forms new RNA that directs synthesis of new proteins
- New protein alters cells activity and causes response
Action of water soluble hormones
steps
- Can’t diffuse through plasma membrane
- the hormone acts as the first messenger
- Receptor proteins activate g-protein “gets the ball rolling”
- g-protien activates adenylate cyclase to convert atp to cAMP (energy)
- cAMP now the second messenger, activates kinases in the cytosol to speed up/slow down physiological responses
- Phosphodiesterase inactivates cAMP quickly and the cell response is turned off unless new hormone molecules arrive
Permissive effect
A second hormone strengthens the effects of the first
you pushing a wall and someone coming to push it too
Synergistic effect
Two hormones acting together for greater effect
working together
Antagonistic effects
Two hormones with opposite effects
one turns something off the other turns it off, one enhances the other decreases the action
Negative feedback control
Most common
Change is reversed, restoring homeostasis
Positive feedback control
The change produced by the hormone causes more hormone to be released
Hypothalamus
- master endocrine gland, the puppeteer
- located in the brain above the pituitary gland and controls it
- It’s hormones control other endocrine glands
- Involved in behavior (rage, hunger, thirst, fear, sex)
- Controls all aspects of growth, development, metabolism, and homeostasis
- Receives input from the cerebral cortex, thalamus, limbic system, and internal organs
Hypothalamus role with Pituitary Gland
- Controls pituitary gland
- synthesizes 9 different hormones
- All hormones act on anterior pituitary EXCEPT the posterior pituitary hormones
What 9 hormones does the hypothalamus synthesize in the pituitary
- Posterior pituitary
- releasing
- inhibiting
posterior: OT and ADH: Stored and released from posterior pituitary
releasing: GHRH, TRH, GnRH, PRH, CRH: Control release of hormones by the anterior pituitary
inhibiting: GHIH and PIH: inhibit the release of hormones by the anterior pituitary
Pituitary Gland
- Pea shaped
- In sella turcica of the sphenoid bone
- Has 2 lobes, anterior and posterior
- Secretes several hormones that control other endocrine glands