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Week 7 - 12 > Endocrine System > Flashcards

Endocrine System Flashcards

1
Q

What is the endocrine system?

A

Second control system of body

Slower than nervous system

Actions mediated by hormones

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2
Q

What are endocrine glands?

A

No ducts

Secrete + release hormones directly into blood

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3
Q

What are hormones?

A

Chemical messengers

Act on target cells through specific receptors

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4
Q

What are the three classes of hormones?

A

Proteins

Steroids

Amino acid derivatives

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5
Q

What are exocrine glands?

A

Secrete outside of body e.g. skin, mouth

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6
Q

Development of glands:

A

Develop from epithelial cells

Cords of cells grow down into underlying tissue

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7
Q

Examples of exocrine glands:

A

Intestinal glands of Lieberkuhn

Sweat glands

Glands of stomach + uterus

Sebaceous glands of skin

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8
Q

Structure of exocrine glands:

A

Secretory cells arranged in alveoli

Basement membrane

Acinus

Duct

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9
Q

What do epithelial cells do in exocrine glands?

A

They form ducts to carry secretions onto epithelium surface

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10
Q

Characteristics of endocrine glands:

A

Ductless

Rich blood supply - lots of capillaries

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11
Q

How does the hormone travel in endocrine glands?

A

Hormone diffuses out of extracellular fluid into bloodstream (through capillary fenestrations)

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12
Q

What are paracrine secretions?

A

Involve paracrine factors (polypeptides) that diffuse over short distances

No blood transport

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13
Q

What is paracrine secretion involved with?

A

Cell to cell communication

Induce changes in adjacent cells (e.g. peptide neurotransmitters)

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14
Q

What is paracrine secretion important in?

A

Embryogenesis - gradients of polypeptides influence developmental change

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15
Q

Examples of families of different polypeptide hormones:

A

Fibroblast growth factor family

Hedgehog family

WnT family

TGF-B superfamily

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16
Q

What glands are part of endocrine system?

A

Pineal gland

Hypothalamus

Pituitary

Thyroid

Parathyroid

Thymus

Adrenal

Pancreas

Ovary

Testis

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17
Q

What does the pineal gland do?

A

Releases melatonin - controls sleep patterns + circadian rhythms

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18
Q

Where is adrenal gland positioned?

A

Superior poles of both kidneys

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19
Q

What are hormones like in the blood?

A

Very low concentrations

Varying concentrations - important when measuring plasma levels

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20
Q

How are steroid and thyroid hormones transported in the blood?

A

They are hydrophobic and insoluble

By specific carrier / binding proteins

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21
Q

Why are steroid and thyroid hormones carried by binding proteins in the blood?

A

Improves solubility

Increases half life

Provides reserve in blood - increases concentrations

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22
Q

What must hormones attached to binding proteins do before binding to receptor on target cell?

A

Must dissociate as not biologically active

Only free hormones are biologically active

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23
Q

What are the different types of receptors?

A

Cell membrane receptors - hydrophilic hormones bind as can’t get inside cell

Intracellular receptors in nucleus - hydrophobic hormones (steroids and thyroids) diffuse through membrane to gain access to nucleus

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24
Q

What are the three types of hormones?

A

Proteins

Steroids

Amino acid derivatives

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25
Structure of protein hormones:
Chains of amino acids (usually injected)
26
What are steroids like?
Synthesised from cholesterol - basic structure Oral administration
27
What are amino acid derivatives like?
Thyroid hormones Catecholamines (adrenaline, noradrenaline, dopamine)
28
How does anterior pituitary develop?
Develops from epithelium of mouth
29
How does posterior pituitary develop?
As a downgrowth of hypothalamus Consists of nerve fibres
30
What’s involved in endocrine regulation?
Endocrine axes / Cascades Hypothalamus Pituitary hormones
31
What do endocrine axes / cascades allow?
Target tissue of one hormone is another endocrine gland Allows amplification and fine control
32
What does the hypothalamus do?
Secretes hormones - control secretion and release of pituitary hormones
33
What do pituitary glands do?
Stimulate/control many other endocrine glands
34
Functions of hypothalamus:
Controls release of anterior pituitary hormones via releasing hormones Secretes hormones that are stored + released by posterior lobe of pituitary gland (oxytocin and ADH)
35
What’s ADH?
Antidiuretic hormone
36
What is the anterior lobe of pituitary gland also known as?
Adenohypophysis
37
What hormones do epithelial cells in anterior lobe of pituitary gland secret?
``` GH TSH ACTH FSH LH Prolactin ```
38
What’s GH?
Growth hormone
39
What’s TSH?
Thyroid stimulating hormone
40
What’s ACTH?
Adrenocorticotropic hormone
41
WWhat’s the posterior lobe of pituitary gland called?
Neurohypophysis
42
Structure of posterior lobe:
Consists of neural tissue
43
What does posterior lobe of pituitary gland do?
Stores hormones secreted by neurosecretory cells in hypothalamus
44
How are hormones secreted by hypothalamus transported to posterior lobe of pituitary gland?
Via neuronal axons in the stalk
45
What hormones does posterior lobe of pituitary gland release?
ADH Oxytocin
46
What does oxytocin do?
Stimulates milk ejection Contraction of myometrium
47
What does ADH do?
Acts in renal/kidney Reduces amount of urine so body can retain water
48
What happens in endocrine axes / cascades?
Hypothalamus controls pituitary Pituitary controls other endocrine glands (e.g. gonads)
49
Give example of an endocrine axes / cascade?
Hypothalamus secretes GnRH GnRH stimulates secretion of FSH FSH stimulates gonad to secrete oestrogen/testosterone
50
WHat’s GnRH?
Gonadotrophin Releasing Hormone
51
What are endocrine axes / Cascades important in?
Negative feedback Final product of cascade inhibits hormone higher up in cascade
52
What’s a pituitary adenoma?
Uncontrollable release of hormone E.g. Acromegaly - over secretion of growth hormone
53
Position of thyroid gland:
Anterior to trachea in neck
54
How does thyroid gland develop?
As down growth of epithelium of tongue
55
What do follicular cells within thyroid gland secrete?
Follicular cells secrete T3 and T4 - requires iodine
56
What’s T3
Tri-iodothyronine
57
What’s T4?
Thyroxine
58
What are hormones secreted by thyroid gland stored in?
Colloid (thyroglobulin)
59
What does thyroxine (T4) regulate?
Energy use - rate of metabolism Protein production - growth + development Regulates sensitivity of cells to other hormones
60
What do parafollicular cells procude in the thyroid gland?
Calcitonin - regulates calcium homeostatic + stimulates osteoblasts
61
Structure of parathyroid glands:
Develop from wall of pharynx Two pairs of glands Embedded in posterior aspect of thyroid
62
What do parathyroid glands do?
Produce parathyroid hormone Regulate calcium homeostasis - stimulate osteoclasts to breakdown bone matrix Increase blood calcium levels
63
What’s in the cortex of adrenal glands?
Three layers of epithelial cells 1. Zona glomerulosa 2. Zona fasciculata 3. Zona reticularis (innermost layer)
64
What’s in the medulla of adrenal glands?
Neural crest cells
65
What doe the adrenal cortex produce?
Steroid hormones
66
What does the adrenal cortex develop from?
Mesoderm of posterior abdominal wall
67
What does Zona glomerulosa consist of?
Mineralocorticoids e.g. aldosterone
68
What does Zona fasciculata consist of?
Glucocorticoids
69
What does Zona reticularis consist of?
Sex steroids
70
What does the adrenal medulla develop from?
From neuroectoderm (neural crest cells)
71
What does the adrenal medulla contain?
Chromaffin cells - produce catecholamines
72
Give examples of catecholamines:
Epinephrine (a.k.a. Adrenaline) Norepinephrine (a.k.a. Noradrenaline) Dopamine
73
What does adrenal medulla have direct connection with?
Sympathetic nervous system - controls fight or flight
74
What does the pancreas develop from?
As an out growth of gut tube Closely associated with growth of gall bladder
75
What must happen to ducts in pancreas?
Must join before emptying into duodenum
76
What’s involved in the exocrine component of the pancreas?
Pancreatic acini produce pancreatic amylase
77
What’s involved in the endocrine component of the pancreas?
Inlets of Langerhans produce horomones Alpha cells - glucagon Beta cells - insulin

Week 7 - 12 (38 decks)

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