Glands

Question 1

Exocrine glands

Answer 1

secrete non-hormonal products via ducts (e.g. sweat glands, mucous glands, sebaceous
glands)

Question 2

Endocrine glands

Answer 2

secrete hormones into interstitial fluid that diffuse into tissue capillaries (e.g. pituitary gland,
thyroid gland, adrenal glands)

Question 3

Endocrine

Answer 3

are distributed into blood to distal target cell

Question 4

Paracrine

Answer 4

are diffused locally to neighboring target cells

Question 5

Autocrine

Answer 5

act on the same cell that produced them

Question 6

Water-soluble hormones

Answer 6

bind to a cell surface receptors on plasma membrane (cannot diffuse through lipid bilayer)
■ Amine hormones (epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine, histamine, serotonin)
■ Peptide hormones (ADH, oxytocin, GH, insulin)
■ Eicosanoid hormones (prostaglandins, leukotrienes)

Question 7

Lipid-soluble hormones

Answer 7

diffuse through lipid bilayer and bind to intracellular receptors in cytosol or nucleus
■ Steroid hormones (testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, aldosterone, cortisol, androgen, calcitriol)
■ Thyroid hormones (T4, T3)
■ Gases (nitric oxide)

Question 8

Hypothalamus

Answer 8

creates an important link
between nervous system and endocrine system
○ Contains neurosecretory cells that send signals to
pituitary gland, which lies direct anteroinferior to
it.
○ Regulates the actions of pituitary gland by
secreting either stimulatory or inhibitory releasing
factors

Question 9

Pituitary gland

Answer 9

regulated by the hypothalamus,
secretes various hormones to distal target
organs throughout the body
○ Divided into anterior and posterior lobes

Question 10

Together, the hypothalamus and pituitary gland form ___?
What is it for?

Answer 10

The hypothalamic-
pituitary axis (HPA) for diffuse endocrine
regulation

Question 11

Thyroid gland

Answer 11

one of the largest endocrine hormone producer of
the body and the largest gland of the neck

Question 12

Parathyroid glands

Answer 12

4 small tiny glands that sit directly posterior to the thyroid (right and left superior and inferior)

Question 13

Adrenal glands

Answer 13

sit directly on trop of the kidneys
and are key regulators of homeostasis and sympathetic nervous
system
● Composed of an outer cortex (includes 3 zones: zona glomerulosa,
zona fasciculata, and zona reticularis) and an inner medulla
(composed of chromaffin cells)

Question 14

Kidneys

Answer 14

● Comprised of and outer cortex and inner medulla
● Nephron is a functional unit of the urinary system 
responsible for glomerular blood flow and filtration rate
● Juxtaglomerular cells located in the renal tubules are
responsible for synthesizing and secreting the hormone
renin

Question 15

Pancreas

Answer 15

● Pancreas has a duel function in both the endocrine and GI system
● GI function is achieved through exocrine glands which secrete
important digestive enzymes that aid in breaking down complex
macronutrients (carbohydrates, lipids, protein)
● Endocrine glands comprised of islets of Langerhans cells (alpha,
beta, delta, epsilon and F cells) which all secrete a unique hormone

Question 16

Ovaries

Answer 16

● Comprised of inner medulla and outer cortex
○ Medulla  comprised of connective tissue (for structural support)
and rich in neurovasculature (for hormone and nutrient transport)
○ Cortex  composed of stromal cells which becomes the ovarian
follicle (granulosa cells, thecal cells and corpus luteum)

Question 17

Testes

Answer 17

● Divided into a series of lobules which include seminiferous tubules
● Leydig cells are important for sex hormone secretion
● Sertoli cells are supportive in function and aid in sperm maturation

Question 18

Pineal gland

Answer 18

secretes melatonin (regulation of circadian rhythms)

Question 19

Thymus

Answer 19

• Secretes thymosin, thymic humoral factor, thymic factor and thymopoietin.
• Responsible for maturation of T lymphocytes for the adaptive immune system

Question 20

GI tract

Answer 20

Hormones stimulate secretion of gastric juice, increase GI motility, and regulate metabolism
○ Secretes gastrin, gastric inhibitory peptide (GIP), glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide,
cholecystokinin (CCK), secretin, ghrelin, motilin

Question 21

Placenta

Answer 21

Important for the exchange of nutrients and waste between mother and developing fetus
○ Secretes human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), progesterone, estrogen, human chorionic
somatomammotropin (hCS), relaxin

Question 22

Heart

Answer 22

secretes atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP – decreases aldosterone release by adrenal
glands and inhibits renin secretion by kidneys)

Question 23

Skin

Answer 23

secretes cholecalciferol (precursor to vitamin D, stimulated in the presence of UV
light)

Question 24

Fat

Answer 24

secretes leptin (appetite suppression and increases metabolism)