Endocrine System Flashcards
What are steroids?
-A class of lipids
-Readily diffuse across the cell membrane
-the term steroid describes both hormones produced by the body and artificially produced medications that duplicate the action for the naturally occurring steroids
What is the structure of steroids?
-Main feature of steroids is the fused ring system of 3 cyclohexanes and one cyclopentane
-large number of carbon-hydrogens(make steroids non-polar
-variety of functional groups may be atttached
Fungus steroids
-ergosterols: same function as cholesterol in animals
-required to build and maintain membranes regulates membrane fluidity over the range of physiological temperatures
Plant steroids
-phytosterols: structural component of cell membrane
-brassinosteroids: numerous roles: pollen tube formation, cell expansion and elongation, vascular differentiation
Define cholesterol and its classification
-essential structural component fo mammalian cell membranes: membrane permeability and fluidity
-technically classified as a modified steroid(or a sterol: steroid alcohol)
Cholesterol is an important component for what
-the manufacture of bile acids, steroid hormones and vitamin D
How is cholesterol made?
-Obtained from the diet, and is synthesized in the body from carbohydrates,proteins, fat
How does cholesterol help regulate membrane fluidity?
-disturbs the close packing of the phospholipids
-reduces permeability to some solutes
What type of steroid acts as a hormone?
-sterone
What five groups are steroid hormones grouped in and why?
-steroid hormones are grouped by the receptors to which they bind
-glucocorticoids(corticosteroids)
-mineralocorticoids(corticosteroids)
-androgens(sex steroid)
-estrogens( sex steroid)
-progestins(sex steroid)
Define hormones and what they control
-signaling molecules secreted by a cell that can alter activities of any cell with receptors for it
-typically produced by one tissue and transported through the bloodstream to another tissue to alter its physiological activity
-involved with the control of: development and function of gonads, metabolism, inflammation, salt and water balance in body fluids, molting in insects and crustaceans(ecdysone)
Steroid hormones are… soluble
-lipid soluble
Define sex steroids:
-subset of sex hormones that produce sex differences or support reproduction; includes androgens, estrogens, and progestins
Define corticosteroids
-most medical ‘steroid’ drugs are corticosteroids(prednisone)
-synthesized from cholesterol within the adrenal cortex
Define anabolic steroids
-class of steroids the interact with androgen receptors to increase muscle and bone synthesis
-there are natural and synthetic anabolic steroids
-popular language steroids usually refers to anabolic steroids
What do anabolic steroids do?
-increase production of actin and myosin proteins, can then be incorporated into existing myofibrils and add to muscular strength
-block the effects of stress hormone cortisol on muscle tissue(cortisol contributes to muscle breakdown, decreases amin acid uptake by muscle and inhibits protein synthesis
-affect the number of cells that develop into fat storage cells by favoring cellular differentiation into muscle cells instead
The endocrine system has over 60 major hormones that control
-growth(HGH: human growth hormone)
-reproduction (LH:lutenizing hormone)
-sexual development (testosterone)
-use and storage of energy
The endocrine system works in parallel with the … to control …… along with maintaining….
-nervous system
-growth and maturation
-homeostasis
Endocrine system includes ….
-four major types of cell signaling
Hormones and local regulators are …
-group into 4 classes based on their chemical structure
Hormones are regulated by
-feedback pathways
Define hormones
-substances secreted by cells that control the activities of cells elsewhere in the body
-only specific target cells respond to a specific hormone
Tropic hormone
-a hormone that regulates hormone secretion by another endocrine gland
Classical endocrine signaling
-endocrine glands secrete hormones over a distance (endocrine cell —-hormone—transported through blood—-target cell—response)
Neuroendocrine signaling
-neurosecretory neurons release neurohormones into the circulatory system(neurosecretory neuron—neurohormone—–transported through blood—-target cell–response)
Paracrine regulation
-cells release local regulators that diffuse through extracellular fluid to regulate nearby cells
(cell—local regulator—-diffuses through extracellular fluid—-target cell—response)
Autocrine regulation
-cells release local regulators that regulate the same cells that produced it
(cell with receptor protein—-local regulator—diffuses through extracellular fluid—- same cell target cell—response)
What are the four molecular classes of hormones and examples
-amines(epinephrine)
-peptides (growth factors PYY)
-steroid (aldosterone, cortisol)
-fatty acids: paracrine and autocrine regulation (prostaglandins)
What do prostagladins do?
-act on an array of cells and have a wide variety of effects:
-Cause constriction or dilation in vascular smooth muscle cells
-cause aggregation or disaggregation of platelets
-sensitize spinal neurons to pain
-decrease intraocular (eye) pressure
-regulate inflammatory mediation
-regulate calcium movement
-control cell growth
What do postagladins bind to, what type of mediators are they, and how are they produced
they bind to cell surface seven transmembrane receptors: G-protein-coupled receptors
-they are autocrine and paracrine type mediators
-they are produced by the oxidation of certain chemicals bey cyclooxygenases (COX-1 and COX-2)
Hormones typically are effective in very low concentrations in the body fluids because of …
-amplification
Amplification
-binding of a hormone to a receptor activates many proteins, which activates even more proteins
Hydrophilic receptors bind to
-surface receptors, activating second messenger pathways inside cells to elicit a cellular response
-example epinephrine
Hydrophobic hormones bind to receptors
-inside cells, activating or inhibiting genetic regulatory proteins
-example aldosterone
Target cells may respond to
-more than one hormone and different target cells may respond differently to the same hormone
List the major endocrine cells and glands of vertebrates
Pineal gland, hypothalamus, pituitary gland, thyroid gland, parathyroid gland, adrenal medulla, adrenal cortex, testes and ovaries, islets of langerhans(pancreas)
What does the Pineal gland produce?
-produces melatonin hormone that affects the modulation of wake/sleep patterns and seasonal functions
What is the function of melatonin?
-interacts with they hypothalamus to set the body’s daily biorhythms
-in some vertebrates(fish,amphibians, reptiles), help animals change skin color