Intro To The Endocrine System Flashcards
What does “krinin” mean?
Separate
What does the endocrine system do?
Secretes within the body into the blood stream
What does “endo” mean
Within
What does “exo” mean?
Out
What does the exocrine system do?
Secretes outside of the body
Give some examples of exocrine secretions
Mucus Semen Tears Sweat Saliva Ear wax
What is the function of the endocrine system?
Maintain homeostasis
What are hormones?
Chemical messengers
What are the 4 characteristics of a hormone?
Produced by specialized cells
Produced in small amounts
Are generally (there are exceptions) produced by one cell and effect another cell
Effect metabolic pathways
What is a gland?
A group of specialized cells that produce hormones
What is a metabolic pathway?
A series of chemical reactions that occur in a specific order
What are the two types of hormones?
Protein
Steroid
What are protein hormones based on?
Protein
What are steroid hormones based on?
Lipids (cholesterol)
How does a protein hormone work?
3 steps
These hormones bind with the receptor site (intrinsic protein) outside of the cell which changes the protein shape and starts a metabolic pathway
What does the metabolic pathway initiated by the protein hormone activate?
Activates kinase activity
What is a protein kinase?
A catalyst which alters, decreases, or increases protein function
How does a steroid hormone work? (4 steps)
Enters the cell and binds to steroid receptor molecules in the cytoplasm. This allows the steroid to get into the nucleus and activate the DNA which starts making specific proteins
What do steroid hormones end in?
“one”
Define target hormone
Targets a specific cell
Define non-target hormone
Targets all cells within an organism
Define tropic hormone
A hormone that stimulates a gland
Define non-tropic hormone
A hormone that does not effect a gland
How does feedback effect a hormone
Hormone levels are regulated by feedback
What are two types of feedback
Positive
Negative
What is positive feedback?
Tells your body to keep doing what it’s doing
What is negative feedback?
Tells your body to stop doing what it’s doing
Is feedback mostly positive or negative?
Negative
-> Used to control production
What are similarities between the endocrine system and the nervous system? (4)
Control cells in body
Maintains homeostasis
Some hormones act as neurotransmitters and vice versa
Both neurotransmitters and hormones are chemical signals
What are differences between the endocrine system and the nervous system? (4)
Nervous system is a lot faster than endocrine system
Hormones are released into bloodstream
No action potentials in endocrine system
Hormones last longer (long duration)
