Chapter 16: The Endocrine System Flashcards
Sending a message: Nervous System
-via neurons- fast and precise. “crisis management”
Sending a message” Endocrine system
- 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
slide 4
picture of all glands and functions
chemistry of hormones
2 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 the cell membrane
Mechanisms of hormone action
- > Hormone action on target cells has receptor for that hormone
1. alter plasma membrane permeability of membrane potential by opening or closing ion channels
2. stimulate synthesis of proteins or regulatory molecules
3. activate or deactivate enzyme systems
4. induce secretory activity
5. stimulate mitosis
Amino-acids hormones (except thyroid hormones)
- > usually water soluble
- > binds to receptors on cell membrane- extracellular receptors
- > activates an enzyme inside cell
- > activates secondary messengers (ex. cyclic AMP)
Steroid hormones
- > Enters the cell by passing directly across membrane
- > binds to receptor to form hormone-receptor complex- intracellular receptors
- > complex enters nucleus, binds to DNA region
- > send a message via mRNA directing protein synthesis
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:
1. blood levels of the hormone
2. relative number of receptors on or in the target cell
3. affinity of binding between receptor and hormone
target cell activation
- > hormones influence the number of their receptors.
- > receptors are dynamic
- > 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 levels 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 vs. cortisol
Interaction of hormones at target cells
Multiple hormones may interact in several ways
- permissiveness
- synergism
- antagonism
permissiveness
one hormone cannot exert its effects without another hormone being present
ex: reproductive hormones and thyroid hormone)
synergism
more than one hormone produces the same effects on a target cell (glucagon & epinephrine cause liver to release glucose to blood)
anatgonism
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 (fluid)
- neural stimuli
- hormonal stimuli (cascade effect)
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 (fluid)
- neural stimuli
- hormonal stimuli (cascade effect)
humoral stimuli
- changing blood levels of ions and nutrients directly stimulates secretion of hormones
- example: calcium (Ca 2+) in the blood
- declining blood calcium concentration stimulates the parathyroid glands to secrete PTH (parathyroid hormone)
*PTH causes calcium 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& E)
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
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 will rise - without the NS the endocrine system is strictly mechanical (i.e home thermostat)