Endocrine System Flashcards

1
Q

What is the endocrine system?

A
  • chemical mediators called hormones are released from
    one part of the body and travel (usually via the blood) to another part of the
    body
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2
Q

What are endocrine glands?

A
  • secrete hormones into the blood
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3
Q

What are exocrine glands?

A
  • secrete substances into ducts that transport them to the external environment (e.g., sweat, saliva, digestive enzymes)
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4
Q

What are artificial hormone analogues?

A
  • some “mimic” the hormone and cause the cell to respond as if
    the hormone was present (“agonist”)
  • some “block” the receptor thus preventing the hormone from
    binding, but will have no effect on the target cell (“antagonist”)
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5
Q

What is tamoxifen?

A
  • analogue of estrogen
  • antagonist in breast tissue (used to fight breast cancer)
  • agonist in uterine tissue (can cause uterine cancer)
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6
Q

Describe water soluble hormones.

A
  • must be injected as they are digested in the gut
  • can travel through the blood in a free form
  • receptors are located on the target cell’s cell membrane
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7
Q

Describe lipid-soluble hormones.

A
  • can be taken orally as they are not digested in the gut
  • require a transport protein to carry them through the blood
  • receptors are located inside the target cell
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8
Q

What are some examples of stimuli that can induce a gland to secrete a hormone?

A
  • signals from the nervous system
  • levels of circulating ions or compounds in the blood
  • the action of other hormones
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9
Q

What re some of the important functions of hormones?

A
  • regulate the growth and development of tissues and organs
  • regulate metabolic processes
  • regulate the chemical composition of the blood and internal environment
  • cause contraction of cardiac muscle and smooth muscle
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10
Q

How are hormones that are not used “deactivated”?

A
  • deactivated by the liver and excreted by the kidneys
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11
Q

What are some endocrine glands?

A
  • parathyroid glands (4)
  • pineal gland
  • pituitary gland
  • thyroid gland
  • adrenal glands (2)
  • hypothalamus
  • pancreas
  • ovaries
  • testes
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12
Q

Where is the hypothalamus and pituitary gland located?

A
  • in the sella turcica of the sphenoid bones
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13
Q

What does the anterior pituitary gland do?

A
  • produces 7 hormones whose secretion is controlled by “releasing” and “inhibiting” hormones secreted by the hypothalamus
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14
Q

What does the posterior pituitary gland do?

A
  • Made up of the axons of hypothalamic neurons that produce 2 hormones
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15
Q

How do hormones secreted by the pituitary gland enter the bloodstream?

A
  • branches of the internal carotid arteries form capillary networks around the lobes of the pituitary.
  • hormones enter the bloodstream via these capillary networks
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16
Q

What are the seven hormones released by the anterior pituitary gland?

A
  • Human growth hormone (hGH)
  • Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)
  • Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)
  • Luteinizing hormone (LH)
  • Prolactin
  • Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)
  • Melanocyte-stimulating hormone
17
Q

What two hormones do the posterior pituitary gland release?

A
  • oxytocin

- antidiuretic hormone (ADH)

18
Q

Where is the pineal gland located?

A
  • small gland in the posterior portion of the roof of the third ventricle
19
Q

What does the pineal gland do?

A
  • secrete melatonin, which
    induces drowsiness
  • visual input from the eyes either stimulates (dark) or inhibits (light) the
    secretion of melatonin
20
Q

What does the thyroid gland produce?

A
  • T4 and T3

- calcitonin

21
Q

Do fetuses produce T4 and T3?

A
  • they don’t produce much of either in the first half of pregnancy
  • they rely on their mothers production
22
Q

How is the parathyroid gland stimulated?

A
  • by a drop in Ca++ in the blood
23
Q

What hormone does the parathyroid gland secrete?

A
  • parathyroid hormone
24
Q

What is the main function of the parathyroid hormone?

A
  • stimulates osteoclasts (bone)
  • decreases Ca++ excretion (kidneys)
  • increases Ca++ absorption (GI tract)
25
Q

Which hormones does the adrenal cortex stimulate?

A
  • steroid hormones such as:
  • mineralocorticoids (mineral homeostasis)
  • glucocorticoids (glucose homeostasis)
  • androgens (male sex hormones)
26
Q

Which hormones does the adrenal medulla secrete?

A
  • epinephrine
  • norepinephrine
  • classified as catecholamines
27
Q

What stimulates the adrenal medulla?

A
  • sympathetic preganglionic neurons causes the secretion of neurotransmitters into the blood
28
Q

What do acini cells of the pancreas secrete?

A
  • secrete digestive enzymes into the GI tract
29
Q

What do islet cells of the pancreas secrete?

A
  • secrete hormones into the bloodstream
30
Q

What are the two divisions of pancreatic islets?

A
  • alpha cells and beta cells
31
Q

How are alpha cells of the pancreas stimulated and what do they secrete?

A
  • stimulated by ↓ glucose in the blood

- secrete glucagon

32
Q

How are beta cells of the pancreas stimulated and what do they secrete?

A
  • stimulated by ↑ glucose in the blood

- secrete insulin

33
Q

What hormones do the ovaries secrete?

A
  • estrogen
  • progesterone
  • relaxin
34
Q

What are hormone do the testis secrete?

A
  • testosterone
35
Q

What is hormone replacement therapy?

A
  • the secretion of estrogen and progesterone drops significantly after menopause
  • medications containing estrogen +/- progesterone are used to boost the
    levels of the hormones and counteract these effects