L1 - Introduction to Endocrinology Flashcards
What systems are responsible for maintaining homeostasis in the body?
nervous system and endocrine system help maintain homeostasis through the use of hormones
What are the four steps that the endocrine system undergoes to establish homeostasis
- Imbalance
- Release of hormone
- Correction
- Negative feedback
Explain the process in which homeostasis is established in terms of glucocortiods.
Hypothalamus percieves low glucocortiod levels in the bloodstream via glucocortiod sensors in the blood vessels. Hypothalamus will then release CRH which will start a hormone cascade resulting in the stimulation of the adrenal gland. This causes the adrenal gland to release glucocortiod into the blood and hence homeostasis is established, which is percieved by the hypothalamus and it stops releasing CRH.
Nervous system vs. endocrine system
neurotransmitters vs. hormones
quick responses for short-term re-establishment of homeostasis vs. slow responses for long-term re-establishment of homeostasis
forms of chemical signalling
autocrine, signalling through gap junctions, paracrine, and endocrine
Autocrine signalling
cell targets itself
Paracrine signalling
cell targets nearby cell
Endocrine signalling
cell targets a distant cell through bloodstream
three ways in which hormones can be classified based on their structure
protein and polypeptide hormones, steroids and tyrosine derivatives
Which catergory of hormones act via a secondary messenger system and why?
protein and polypeptide hormones because they are typically charged and cannot pass through the cell membrane
Which catergory of hormones are mainly hydrophobic?
Steroids are mainly hydrophobic and act as primary messengers since they can pass through the cell membrane.
What is so special about tyrosine derivatives?
it can act either as steroids or peptides depending on how it is manipulated
