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Endocrine System Pointers

The endocrine system regulates complex bodily processes through hormones, chemicals released into the bloodstream. It includes glands like the pituitary, thyroid, and pancreas. Hormones can be proteins, peptides, amines, or steroids, and act through negative feedback loops to maintain homeostasis. The pituitary gland is the "master gland" that controls other glands and regulates important functions like growth, metabolism, fluid balance, and reproduction through hormones like growth hormone, oxytocin, and antidiuretic hormone. Other major glands include the thyroid, adrenals, and gonads.

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Althea Valenzuela
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135 views2 pages

Endocrine System Pointers

The endocrine system regulates complex bodily processes through hormones, chemicals released into the bloodstream. It includes glands like the pituitary, thyroid, and pancreas. Hormones can be proteins, peptides, amines, or steroids, and act through negative feedback loops to maintain homeostasis. The pituitary gland is the "master gland" that controls other glands and regulates important functions like growth, metabolism, fluid balance, and reproduction through hormones like growth hormone, oxytocin, and antidiuretic hormone. Other major glands include the thyroid, adrenals, and gonads.

Uploaded by

Althea Valenzuela
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Endocrine System

- Releases chemicals called hormones that regulate complex body processes.


- Regulates complex processes such as growth and development, metabolism and
reproduction.
- Acts more slowly by using chemical messenger called hormones, which released into the
blood to be transported throughout the body.
Endocrinology
- scientific study of hormones and endocrine organs.
Hormones
- can be classified chemically as either animo-based molecules (proteins, peptides and
amines) or steroids (made from cholesterol)
- comes from a Greek word meaning “to arouse”.
Prostaglandins- hormones that act locally
- made from highly active lipids released from nearly all cell membranes.
Negative feedback
- are the chief means of regulating blood levels of nearly all hormones.
Hormonal Stimuli
- most common stimuli in which endocrine organs are prodded into action by other
hormones.
Humoral Stimuli
- distinguish from hormonal stimuli which are also bloodborne chemicals.
- Humoral – humor

Major Endocrine Organs


- Pituitary - Thymus
- Pineal - Adrenal glands
- Thyroid - Pancreas
- Parathyroid - Gonads (ovary and testes)
Endocrine glands- ductless glands
Exocrine glands- release their products at the body’s surface or into body cavities through
ducts.
Pituitary gland- is approximately the size of a pea.
- Has 2 functional lobes – the anterior pituitary (glandular tissue) and posterior pituitary
(nervous tissue)
Anterior pituitary
- Master endocrine gland
- Its removal has dramatic effect
- The release of its hormones is controlled by releasing hormones and inhibiting
hormones.
Posterior pituitary
- Is not an endocrine gland, does not make the peptide hormones it releases
Oxytocin
- Released in significant amounts only during childbirth and nursing.
- Causes milk ejection
- Natural and synthetic oxytocic drugs (Pitocin and other) are used to induce labor or to
hasten labor.
Antidiuretic hormone (ADH)- second hormone released by posterior pituitary
- Causes the kidneys to reabsorb more water from the forming urine
Diuresis- is urine production
Antidiuretic- chemical that inhibits or prevents urine production
Water- powerful inhibitor in ADH release
Vasopressin- constriction of the arterioles (small arteries)
Diabetes insipidus- hyposecretion of ADH that leads to a condition of excessive urine output 
Tropic hormone- includes follicle hormone-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone,
thyrotropic hormone and adrenocorticotropic hormone
Growth hormone- is a general metabolic hormone
Acromegaly- occurs after long bone growth has ended
Prolactin- is a protein hormone structurally similar to growth hormone
- Its only known in humans is the breast
Gonadotropic hormone- regulate the hormonal activity if the gonads
Follicle-stimulating hormone- stimulates follicle development in the ovaries
Luteinizing hormone- triggers ovulation of an egg from the ovary
Sterility- lack of ability to successfully reproduce in both male and female
Thyrotropic hormone- influences the growth and activity of the thyroid gland
Adrenocorticotropic hormone- regulates the endocrine activity of the cortex portion of the
adrenal gland.

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