MA-Endocrine Gland, Female Repro I & II Flashcards
Most endocrine glads consist of what kind of tissue?
Epithelial tissue
What is a defining characteristic that differentiates endocrine from exocrine glands?
Endocrine glands do NOT have ducts.
Endocrine glands are highly vascular and hormones are secreted into capillaries
Do endocrine hormones act short distance or long distance typically?
Long distance, distributed by circulation, however some hormones may act on adjacent cells, in a paracrine fashion
the prefix aden- means what?
adeno- means glandular, therefore an adenocarcinoma is a tumor of glandular origin
Biochemically, hormones can be divided into 2 classes, which are what?
- Membrane impermeable, hydrophilic, which work via 2nd messengers (peptides and proteins)
- Membrane permeable, hydrophobic, which bind to receptors inside the cell to affect transcription (steroid and thyroid hormones)
What are typical features of cells secreting protein or polypeptide hormones?
Abundant RER
Prominent Golgi
What are typical features of steroid-producing cells?
Central nucleus
Lipid droplets in cytoplams (foamy appearance)
Abundant SER (chol synthesis)
The anterior pituitary is derived what which cell type?
The posterior pituitary is derived from which cell type?
Anterior pituitary: Oral ectoderm
Posterior pituitary: Neural ectoderm
What types of cells do the anterior/posterior pituitary glad consist of?
Anterior: epithelial
Posterior: neurons and glial
What are the 3 regions of the anterior pituitary?
- Pars tuberalis
- Pars distalis
- Pars intermedia
Does the posterior pituitary (poster hypophysis/neurohypophysis) contain secretory cells?
No, it stores and secretes hormones that are produced in the hypothalamus
The anterior pituitary can be divided into 2 groups based on staining in routine histological preparation, what are they?
- Chromophils -secretory cells that can be further divided into basophils (B-FLAT) and acidophils (GPA)
- Chromphobes- stem cells
What are the 2 cells types of acidophils (chromophils) and what do they secrete?
GPA-Growth hormone, Prolactin, Acidophils
- Somatotrophs-somatotropin (Growth Hormone)
- Lactotropes- prolactin
What are the 3 cell types of basophils (chromophils) and what do they secrete?
B-FLAT: Basophils- FSH, LH, ACTH, TSH
- Gonadotrophs-FSH, LH
- Thyrotrope- TSH
- Corticotrope- ACTH (and B-lipoprotein)
What hormones do the posterior pituitary produce?
Does NOT produce its own hormones, but serves as a storage site for hormones produced in the hypothalamus, including ADH and Oxytocin
What hormones are produced by the pars intermedia of the anterior pituitary?
It is largely inactive in adults and contains colloid-filled follicles and cysts (Rathke’s cysts) of unknown function.
What are the dilated axons of the hypothalamic neurons called in the posterior pituitary?
What are the glial cells called?
Dilated axons are called Herring bodies.
Glial cells are called pituicytes
What are the 3 major layers of the adrenal gland and what is their function?
- Cortex - no production
- Adrenal cortex - produces steroid hormones
- Medulla secretes catecholamines
What are the 3 concentric zones of the adrenal cortex?
Which zone has a foamy appearance due to lipid droplets?
GFR- Salt, Sugar, Sex
- Zona glomerulosa
- Zona Fasciculata
- Zona retilaris
Zona fasciculata has foamy appearance due to lipid droplets
What are the cellular origins of the adrenal cortex and medulla?
Adrenal cortex is of epithelial origin
Adrenal medulla is of neuronal origin
What does the adrenal medulla produce?
Catecholamines- epi and norepi
What hormone is produced by the zona glomerulosa?
Mineralocorticoids - primarily Aldosterone to regulate SALT balance.
Regulated by angiotensin II
What hormone is produced by the zona fasciculata?
What is the physiologic activity?
What is it regulated by?
Glucocorticoids- primarily cortisol and DHEA for the regulation of glucose metabolism (SUGAR)
Regulated by ACTH
What hormone is produced by the zona reticularis?
Cortisol and DHEA tp regulate both glucose and testosterion production (SEX)
Regulated by ACTH
Typical protein secreting cells include cells of the pancreas, and anterior pituitary gland, follicular cells of thyroid
Abundant RER and golgi
What are the 4 types of cells in the islet of langerhans and what do they produce?
- Alpha cells- glucagon
- Beta cells - insulin
- Delta cells- somatostatin
- F or PP cells- pancreatic polypeptide
What do follicular cells of the thyroid gland produce?
Thyroglobullin (Tg) which is used to produce T3/T4
What do parafollicular cells (c cells) of the thyroid gland produce?
calcitonin- which promotes calcification and inhibits bone resorption (opposite of PTH)
Regulated by blood Ca2+ levels
What are the 2 cell types of the parathyroid gland and what are their functions?
- Chief cells (small abundant)- produce parathyroid hormone (PTH)
- Oxyphil cells (large cells)- unknown function
What does Parthyroid hormone (PTH) do?
polypeptide hormone that increases blood calcium level by regulating osteoclast activity.
Regulated by blood Ca2+ level
The main functions of the ovary is to produce ______ and synthesize ______
Produce female gametes, known as oocytes and synthesize female sex hormones, estrogen and progesterone.
In general, there are 4 layers that make up the ovary, what are they?
From outside to inside:
- Germinal eipthelium-simple cuboidal epithelium (source of most ovarian cancers)
- Tunica Albuginea
- Cortex
- Medulla
What 4 structures are found within the cortex of the ovary?
- Stroma- highly cellular CT with some smooth muscle
- Follicles: oocytes surrounded by follicular epithelium (in fertile ovaries)
- Endocrine glandular tissue, not always present
- Collagenous scar
What is the function of the ovarian follicle?
House dormant and maturing oocytes
Synthesize estrogen
What defines the boarders of the ovarian follicle and is it vascularized?
Follicular epithelium surrounds the oocyte and the basement membrane of the follicular epithelium defines the outer boundary. Avascular
______surrounding each primary oocyte undergo mesenchymal-to-epithelial transtion, becoming the _________
Stromal cells
follicular epithelium
At which stage of development do Oocytes and primordial follical form?
ONLY during fetal development
What is the most numerous type of follicle present in fertile ovaries?
Primordial follicle, which is in a dormant stage that is maintained for decades
What are the 5 stages of follicuar development/maturation?
- Primordial follicle
- Unilaminar primary follicle
- Multilaminar primary follicle
- Secondary/antral/vesicular follicle
- Mature/graafian, preovulatory follicle
Follicle growth culminates in _______, the rupture of the follicle and release of the oocyte
Ovulation
At any point in the process of follicle maturation, the follicle can undergo ____, a form of programmed cell death fro the oocyte and follicular epithelium
atresia
Follicle activation occurs at the start of each _______
menstral cycle