Chapter 16 Endocrine System Flashcards
define crine
to secrete
nervous system
- sends messages via neurons
- fast and precise
- crisis management
endocrine system
- sends messages via hormones
- slower, last longer, target most cells of body
- controls ongoing metabolic processes
endocrine system: overview
- acts with the nervous system to coordinate and integrate the activity of body cells
- influences metabolic activities via hormones through blood
- system is slower but lasts longer than NS
- endocrine glands: pituitary, thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal, and pineal glands
main classes of hormones
- two main classes:
- amino acid-based hormones (water based)
- steroids (lipid based)
amino acid-based hormones
- water based
- amines, thyroxine, peptides, and proteins
- cannot cross cell membrane
- binds to receptors on membrane
steroids
- lipid based
- synthesized from cholesterol
- gonadal and adrenocortical hormones
- since they are lipids -> can cross cell membrane
hypothalamus
- controls the pituitary gland
- brain region
pituitary gland
- master hormone
- secretes many different hormones
- some of which affect other glands
thyroid gland
-affects metabolism among other things
parathyroids
-help regulate level of calcium in the blood
adrenal glands
-help to trigger the fight or flight response
pancreas
-regulates the level of sugar in the blood
ovary
secretes female sex hormone
testis
secretes male sex hormones
mechanism of hormone action
- hormone action on target cells has receptor for that hormone
- alter plasma membrane permeability of membrane potential by opening or closing ion channels
- stimulate synthesis of proteins or regulatory molecules
- activate or deactivate enzymes systems
- induce secretory activity
- stimulate mitosis
mechanism of hormone action: amino-acid hormones (except thyroid)
- usually, water soluble
- binds to receptors on cell membrane (extracellular receptors)
- receptors on plasma membrane for water soluble hormones*
- activates G protein
- activates an enzyme (adenylate cyclase) inside cell
- enzyme (adenylate cyclase) converts ATP to secondary messengers (cAMP)
- secondary messengers (cAMP) activates protein kinases
mechanism of hormone action: steroid hormones
- steroid hormones enter cell by passing directly across membrane
- binds to receptor to form hormone-receptor complex (intracellular receptor*)
- complex enters nucleus
- bind to DNA region
- initiates transcription of the gene to mRNA
- sends a message via mRNA directing protein synthesis
3 plasma membrane components
- receptor
- G protein
- enzyme
target cell specificity
- target cells must have specific receptors to which the hormone binds
- ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone) receptors are only found on certain cells of the adrenal cortex
- thyroxin receptors are found on nearly all cells of the body
target cell activation
- target cell activation depends on 3 factors
- blood levels of the hormone
- relative number of receptors on or in the target cell
- affinity of binding between receptor and hormone
Receptors are dynamic
- hormones influence the number of their receptors
- up-regulation- target cells form more receptors in response to low levels of the hormone
- down-regulation- target cells lose receptors in response to high level of the hormone
hormones in the blood
- hormones are removed from the blood by:
- degrading enzymes
- kidneys
- liver
- half-life- the time required for a hormones blood level to decrease by half
- insulin (6 mins half life) vs cortisol (1 hour half life)
permissiveness
one hormone cannot exert its effect without another hormone being present (i.e. reproductive hormones and thyroid hormones)
synergism
-more than one hormone produces the same effect on a target cell (glucagon and epinephrine cause liver to release glucose to blood)
antagonism
-one or more hormones opposes the action of another hormone (insulin and glucagon)
control of hormone release
- blood levels of hormones are controlled by negative feedback systems
- vary only within a narrow desirable range
- hormones are synthesized and released in response to:
- humoral stimuli (fluids)
- neural stimuli
- hormonal stimuli (cascade effect)
humoral stimuli
- changing blood levels of ions and nutrients directly stimulates secretion of hormones
- ex. Ca2+ in the blood
- declining blood Ca2+ concentration stimulates the parathyroid glands to secrete PTH (parathyroid hormone)
- PTH causes Ca2+ concentrations to rise and the stimulus is removed
neural stimuli
- nerve fibers stimulate hormone release
- in response to stress sympathetic nervous system fibers stimulate the adrenal medulla to secrete catecholamines (NE and E)
- when did we recently see a release of Epinephrine (hint: extrinsic regulation) -> fight of flight response
- preganglionic sympathetic fibers stimulate adrenal medulla cells -> medulla of adrenal gland secretes catecholamines (epinephrine and norepinephrine)
hormonal stimuli
- hormones stimulate other endocrine organs to release their hormones
- hypothalamic hormones stimulate the release of most anterior pituitary hormones
- anterior pituitary hormones stimulate targets to secrete still more hormones
- hypothalamic-pituitary-target endocrine organ feedback loop- hormones from the final target organs inhibit the release of the anterior pituitary hormones
- tropic hormones- hormones that stimulate other hormones
- ex. hypothalamus secrete hormones that -> Stimulate the anterior pituitary gland to secrete hormones that -> stimulate other endocrine glands to secrete hormones (thyroid, adrenal, gonad)
nervous system modulation
- the nervous system modifies the stimulation of endocrine glands and their negative feedback mechanisms
- ex. under severe stress, the hypothalamus and the sympathetic nervous system are activated -> as a result blood glucose levels rise
- without nervous system the endocrine system strictly mechanical (i.e. home thermostat)
when one hormone is not effective unless another hormone is present is called
- synergism
- antagonism
- permissiveness*
- specificity
anterior pituitary gland
- growth hormone (GH)- protein synthesis and growth in cells
- thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) or thyrotropin *- stimulates synthesis and release of thyroid hormone from thyroid
- adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) *- stimulates release of hormones from adrenal cortex
- follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) *- production of egg/sperm, prepares uterus for implantation of fertilized egg
- luteinizing hormone (LH) *- production of egg/sperm, prepares uterus for implantation of fertilized egg
- prolactin (PRL)- stimulates milk production
- ***** tropic hormones
posterior pituitary gland
- antidiuretic hormone (ADH)- reabsorbs water from collecting duct
- oxytocin- uterus contractions, releases milk in nursing mothers
thyroid gland
- T3/T4- cell metabolism
- calcitonin- lowers blood caclium
parathyroid gland
PTH- raises blood calcium