Hormonal Communication - Adrenal Glands Flashcards
Adrenal cortex
The outer layer of the adrenal gland
Adrenal gland
One of a pair of glands lying above the kidneys, which release adrenaline and corticoids/corticosteroids e.g. Aldosterone
Adrenaline
A hormone released from the adrenal glands that stimulates the body to prepare for fight or flight
Adrenal medulla
The inner layer of the adrenal gland
How does the adrenal gland supple hormones
By secreting them directly into the blood vessels that run through them
What are the three distinct layers in the adrenal cortex
- Zona glomerulosa
- Zona fasciculata
- Zona reticularis
Zona glomerulosa
The outer most layer of the adrenal cortex, which secretes mineralocorticoids such as aldosterone
Zona fasciculata
The middle layer of the adrenal cortex, which secretes glucocorticoids such as cortisol
Zona reticularis
The innermost layer of the adrenal cortex, which is thought to secrete precursor molecules that are used to make sex hormones
What does the adrenal medulla secrete
Adrenaline and noradrenaline
What does the adrenal cortex use to produce a range of hormones?
Cholesterol
What are the hormones made in the adrenal cortex in regard to how the enter cells?
Steroid based and are able to enter cells directly by dissolving into the cell surface membrane
- They can enter the nucleus and have a direct effect on the DNA to cause protein synthesis
Summarise the action of steroids
- The steroid hormone passes through the cell membrane of the target cell
- Steroid hormone binds with a specific receptor with a complementary shape the cytoplasm
- The receptor-steroid complex enters the nucleus of the target cell and binds to another specific receptor on the chromosomal material
- Binding stimulates the production of mRNA molecules which code for production of protein
