what is endocrinology

Question 1

what does the work endocrine mean (breaking it down)

Answer 1

-endon (within)
-krinein (to secrete)

Question 2

what is the study of endocrinology

Answer 2

the study of the endocrine glands and their secretions (hormones)

Question 3

what are endocrine glands

Answer 3

ductless glands that secrete hormones into the blood (will then go on to affect another cell)

Question 4

what are the classical endocrine secreting glands/tissues

Answer 4

-pituitary gland
-parathyroid
-adrenal
-ovaries
-testes
-pancreas
-thyroid

Question 5

what are some endocrine glands/tissues that were not on the “classical” list

Answer 5

-liver
-GI tract
-kidneys
-skin

Question 6

what are some subfields of endocrinology

Answer 6

-clinical endocrinology (treatment of human endocrine diseases)
-comparative endocrinology (more bout functions of hormones, how animals adapt to dissimilar environments)
-behavioural endocrinology (hormones and behaviour)
-endocrine toxicology (endocrine-disrupting chemicals and impact on human and animal health)

Question 7

what is a hormone

Answer 7

-a substance secreted by specialized cells and released into a vascular system (the blood) or tissue fluid causing a response in target cells everywhere in the body
-the response is mediated by receptor specific to the hormones in target tissues

Question 8

what cells will respond to hormones

Answer 8

only cells that have a specific receptor for the hormone have a response and only at a certain threshold

Question 9

problems with the classical hormone definition

Answer 9

-hormones are not necessarily produced by ductless glands (can be secreted by small groups of cells or individual cells)
-secretion of an endocrine gland or cell is not unihormornal (multiple active chemicals are produced by a cell)
-most hormones have multiple production sites
-horms are not only secreted into the bloodstream. they can go into lymph or extracellular fluids
-hormone action cannot be stereotyped. it varies according to the state of the target site (may be determined by the receptor expressed in the target cell
-hormones do not always act on a distant target site (paracrine and autocrine)

Question 10

what are some major functions of hormones

Answer 10

maintaining homeostasis
-homeostasis( water, ion balance)
-glucose homeostasis
-calcium homeostasis
reproduction
-ovulation and menstration
growth and development
-metamorphosis
modulate behaviour
-mating
-aggression

Question 11

why have an endocrine system

Answer 11

the evolution of multicellular organisms made it necessary to have coordinating systems to regulate and integrate the function of different cells