Lesson A2.

Overview of the Endocrine

System
 describe the general
Objectives 1 attributes of an endocrine
gland;
At the end
of the classify hormones
lesson, you according to their
should be 2 chemical nature, target
able to: cells, and functions;
 explain the different
3 mechanisms of action of
Objectives hormones; and

At the end differentiate between the

of the nervous system and
lesson, you endocrine system as the
should be 4 major organ systems
able to: responsible for
coordination.
 Learn about It!

The Endocrine System

● The endocrine system is a
collection of ductless glands
scattered around the body.

○ It controls various activities of

different organs, such as
growth and response to stress.

● Endocrinology is science that

studies this system. The organs of the
endocrine system
 Learn about It!

The Endocrine System

● The endocrine glands are not

directly connected to each other.

● A hormone (hormon = to excite or

to get moving) is a chemical
messenger that is released into the
bloodstream and exerts its effect
in many areas of the body.
The organs of the
endocrine system
 Learn about It!

The Endocrine Glands

● A gland is an organ that
produces and releases
chemical substances that
perform specific functions
in the body.

● Two structural types:

○ Exocrine glands
○ Endocrine glands
Types of glands
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The Endocrine Glands

● Types of Glands:

○ Exocrine glands secrete

their chemical products
through ducts or tubes.

■ sweat glands
■ oil glands
■ mucous glands
■ digestive glands The structure of an exocrine gland
 Learn about It!

The Endocrine Glands

● Types of Glands:

○ Endocrine glands
secrete their hormones
into the interstitial fluid.

■ The interstitial fluid

(extracellular fluid)
surrounds the cells
of the body. The structure of an endocrine gland
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The Endocrine Glands

● Endocrine glands are
classified based on their
functional exclusivity
because not all of them
are exclusively classified
under the endocrine
system.

○ Exclusively endocrine
○ Mixed-functions Endocrine glands may either have a sole
endocrine function or mixed functions.
 Learn about It!

The Endocrine Glands

● Functional exclusivity of
glands:

○ Glands that are exclusively

endocrine in function.
■ pituitary
■ thyroid
■ parathyroid
■ adrenal glands
■ pineal glands Endocrine glands may either have a sole
endocrine function or mixed functions.
 Learn about It!

The Endocrine Glands

● Functional exclusivity of
glands:

○ Mixed-function glands
are shared with other
organ systems.
■ hypothalamus
■ thymus
■ pancreas
■ gonads Endocrine glands may either have a sole
endocrine function or mixed functions.
 Learn about It!

The Endocrine Hormones

● Hormones control and regulate cell and organ activities.

● They may be classified based on their chemical nature,

chemical composition, and types of target cells.

Composition Chemical nature

Composition Types of target cells
steroid
lipid-soluble tropic hormones
amino acid
non-tropic hormones
peptide water-soluble
 Learn about It!

The Endocrine Hormones

● Types of Hormones based
on Chemical Composition
○ Steroid hormones are
neutral lipids that are
derivatives cholesterol.

○ They are involved in water

balance, stress response, Steroid hormones produced by the
and sexual development. adrenal cortex and gonads
 Learn about It!

The Endocrine Hormones

● Types of Hormones based
on Chemical Composition
○ Amino-acid derivative
hormones are molecules
derived from tyrosine and
tryptophan.
Epinephrine (adrenaline) consists of
○ They are important for a benzene ring with the amino acid
regulation of metabolism. tyrosine.
 Learn about It!

The Endocrine Hormones

● Types of Hormones based
on Chemical Composition
○ Peptide hormones are
polymers of amino acids.

○ Small peptide hormones

consist of 3 to 49 amino Oxytocin, the “love hormone” and
acids, while the larger ones a peptide hormone, consists of
have 500 to 200 amino acids. various amino acids.
 Learn about It!

The Endocrine Hormones

● Types of Hormones based
on Chemical Composition
○ Peptide hormones are
synthesized and processed
in the endoplasmic
reticulum and Golgi
complexes of cells.
Commercial insulin, a peptide
○ Stimulus can trigger their hormone, requires direct injection
release from their sources. into the bloodstream.
 Learn about It!

The Endocrine Hormones

● Types of Hormones based
on Chemical Nature
○ Lipid-loving hormones
(lipophilic) have high lipid
solubility but low water
solubility.

○ Examples: steroids and some Thyroxine, an amino-acid

amino-acid derivatives derivative, is lipophilic.
 Learn about It!

The Endocrine Hormones

● Types of Hormones based
on Chemical Nature
○ Water-soluble hormones
(hydrophilic) have high
solubility in water but low
lipid solubility.
Dopamine and serotonin, two of
the four “happy” hormones and
○ Examples: peptides and are amino-acid derivatives, are
some amino-acid derivatives hydrophilic.
 Learn about It!

The Endocrine Hormones

● Types of Hormones based
on Target Cell Types
○ Tropic hormones
(tropic=nourishing) regulate
the production and secretion
of another hormone.

○ Mostly are produced by the The hypothalamus and

hypothalamus and pituitary pituitary gland
glands.
 Learn about It!

The Endocrine Hormones

● Types of Hormones based
on Target Cell Types
○ Non-tropic hormones are
produced to exert their
effect on non-endocrine
structures.

○ They do not affect the Oxytocin targets the uterus, a

release of hormones in non-endocrine organ, to stimulate
another gland. its contractions during labor.
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Functions of the Endocrine System

● The endocrine system exerts a
wide range of effects throughout
the body.
1. Regulation of nutrient
metabolism and water
and electrolyte balance.

2. Promotion of smooth,
sequential growth and Vasopressin increases the rate of
development. water reabsorption in the kidneys.
 Learn about It!

Functions of the Endocrine System

● The endocrine system exerts a
wide range of effects throughout
the body.
3. Stimulation of adaptive
changes that aid the body
in coping with stress.

4. Control of reproduction Epinephrine and norepinephrine

are hormones that contribute to
and reproductive cycles. stress adaptation.
 Learn about It!

Functions of the Endocrine System

● The endocrine system exerts a
wide range of effects throughout
the body.
5. Regulation of blood cell
production.

6. Control and regulation of

the activities of both the Erythropoietin from the kidneys
circulatory and digestive targets the bone marrow for red
systems. blood cell production.
 Learn about It!

Mechanisms of Hormone Action

● Before a physiological event happens, hormones must
first “announce its arrival” to a target cell by first binding to
receptors.

○ A receptor is a molecule in the target cell that directly

responds to the presence of the hormone.

● Lipid-soluble and water-soluble hormones have different

receptors, resulting in different responses of their target
cells.
 Learn about It!

Mechanisms of Hormone Action

● Lipid-soluble hormones have
receptors located within the
target cells.

○ They simply diffuse through

the lipid bilayer.

○ They then bind to and activate Pathway of

lipophilic
the receptors in the cytosol or hormones
nucleus. inside a
target cell
 Learn about It!

Mechanisms of Hormone Action

● Water-soluble hormones
cannot readily diffuse into the
plasma membrane of target cell.

○ They bind to receptors in the

membrane of the target cell.
Pathway of
○ They act as the first hydrophilic
messenger by binding to the hormones
receptors on the cell surface. inside a
target cell
 Learn about It!

Coordination with the Nervous System

Parameters Nervous System Endocrine System
Neurotransmitters
Messenger Hormones transported
released in response to
molecules via the bloodstream
nerve impulse
Close to the site of Usually far from the site
Site of action
release (at the synapse) of release
Types of target Muscles, glands, and Cells throughout the
cells other neurons body
Differences between nervous system and endocrine system
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Coordination with the Nervous System

Parameters Nervous System Endocrine System

Onset or
Usually within Seconds to even hours or
beginning of
milliseconds days
action
Takes from seconds to
Duration of action As brief as milliseconds
hours or days
Differences between nervous system and endocrine system
Key Points

The endocrine system, similar to the nervous system,

functions for coordination. However, unlike that of the
1 nervous system, coordination is accomplished through
the chemical messengers called hormones.

Endocrine glands are ductless organs of the

endocrine system. Some of them are devoted solely to
2 their endocrine function. Other endocrine organs
also serve non-endocrine functions, and are thus
called mixed-function organs.
Key Points

Lipid-soluble hormones include steroid hormones

3 and thyroid hormones.

Water-soluble hormones include peptide hormones

4 and some amine-derivative hormones.

Hormones may also be tropic or non-tropic

5 depending on whether or not they control another
endocrine secretion.
 Check Your Understanding

Write true if the statement is correct and false if

otherwise.
1. Thyroid-stimulating hormone is an example of a tropic hormone.
2. Lipid-soluble hormones have receptors that are located either in
the cytosol or nucleus.
3. Testosterone is an amino-acid derivative hormone.
4. Endocrine glands have a faster onset of action than the nerve
tissues.
5. Cyclic adenosine monophosphate acts as the first messenger
during the action of water-soluble hormones.
 Challenge Yourself

Why would a steroid

hormone such as
testosterone be still
effective even when
taken orally?
 Photo Credits

Slide 20: This file, 106 Pregnancy-Positive Feedback, by OpenStax, is licensed under CC BY 4.0 via
Creative Commons.
 Bibliography

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Sherwood, Lauralee. Human Physiology : from Cells to Systems. Belmont, CA :Brooks/Cole, Cengage
Learning, 2013.

Starr, Cecie, and Beverly McMillan. 2013. Human Biology. Cengage Learning.

Thibodeau, Gary, and Kevin Patton. 2013. Structure & Function of the Body. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Tortora, G. J., & Grabowski, S.R. (2009). Principles of Anatomy and Physiology. New York, NY: Harper
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