ENDOCRINE PHYSIO

ENDOCRINE SYSTEM
System of glands which secrete hormones to regulate the body
Interacts with the nervous system to coordinate and integrate the activity of body cells
Uses chemical signals for cell to cell communication
Response to an endocrine signal occurs within minutes to hours

HORMONES
Chemical substances secreted by cells into the extracellular fluids
Cell to cell communication molecules
Coordinate the function of cells
Regulate the metabolic function of other cells in the body
Response to an endocrine signal occur within minutes to hours

Hormones
Chemistry of hormones
Mechanisms of action
Target cell specificity
Interaction of hormones at target cells
Control of hormone release

Chemical Messengers (table)

Mechanisms of Hormone Action

A given hormone influences the activity of only certain tissue cells target cells
Hormones bring about their effects on target cells by altering cell activity
Increase or decrease the rates of normal cellular processes
Precise response depends on the target cell type

Hormonal stimulus typically produces one/more of the ff. changes:

1. Alters plasma membrane permeability or membrane potential, or both, by opening
or closing ion channels
2. Stimulates synthesis of proteins or regulatory molecules (i.e. enzymes) within the
cell
3. Activates or deactivates enzymes
4. Induces secretory activity
5. Stimulates mitosis

Plasma membrane receptors and second-messenger systems

Cyclic AMP (cAMP) signaling mechanism
PIP-calcium signal mechanism
Intracellular receptors and direct gene activation

Target Cell Specificity

 In order for a target cell to respond to a hormone, the cell must have specific protein
receptors on its plasma membrane or in its interior to which that hormone can bind

Target cell activation by hormone-receptor interaction depends on 3 factors:

1. Blood levels of the hormone
2. Relative numbers of receptors for that hormone on or in the target cells
3. Affinity (strength) of the bond between the hormone and the receptor

Types of Hormone Interactions

Permissiveness
Synergism
Antagonism

Control of Hormone Release

Synthesis and release of most hormones are regulated by some type of negative feedback
system

Endocrine gland stimuli:

Humoral stimuli
Neural stimuli
Hormonal stimuli

Major Endocrine Organs

Pituitary gland
Thyroid gland
Parathyroid glands
Adrenal glands

PITUITARY GLAND (Hypophysis)

o Adenohypophysis (anterior lobe)
o Neurohypophysis (posterior lobe + infundibulum)
Releases neurohormones from hypothalamus (hormone-storage area)
(Table)

Metabolic Actions of Growth Hormone

Cretinism

Myxedema

Graves Disease

Diabetes Insipidus
Due to ADH deficiency
Syndrome marked by the output of huge amounts of urine and intense thirst

THYROID AND PARA - THROID

THYROID GLAND
Largest pure endocrine gland in the body
Located in the anterior neck, on the trachea just inferior to the larynx
Consists of 2 lobes connected by an isthmus
Produces 2 hormones:
o Thyroid hormones
Thyroxine (T4)
Triiodothyronine (T3)
o Calcitonin

Thyroid hormone:
Controls metabolic process the rate at which glucose is burned (oxidized) and
turned into body heat and chemical energy
Maintenance of body temperature by activation of certain proteins for heat
generation
Development of CNS during fetal development
Development of teeth, skin, hair follicles

Calcitonin

 Produced by the parafollicular or C cells of the thyroid gland

Direct antagonist of PTH lower blood Ca2+ levels
Target organ: bones
o Inhibits osteoclast activity ( bone resorption)
o Stimulates Ca

2+

uptake and incorporation into bone matrix

Calcitonin (Thyrocalcitonin)
o Helps maintain normal calcium levels in the blood
Decreases calcium levels by causing calcium to be deposited in the bones
bone resorption
Reduces release of calcium from bones
Inhibit reabsorption of calcium in the kidneys

PARATHYROID GLANDS
Small, yellow-brown organs in the posterior aspect of the thyroid gland
There are two lobes on each gland, and these four lobes secrete parathyroid hormone or
parathormone
o This hormone acts as a counter to calcitonin
When calcium levels drop in the blood, it breaks down bone and releases
calcium into the blood
Cells:

o Chief cells secrete PTH

o Oxyphil cells unknown function
Function is facilitated by 1,25-dihydrocholecalciferol which is a derivative of Vitamin D

CALCIUM HOMEOSTASIS

ADRENAL GLAND AND PANCREAS

ADRENAL GLANDS
Pyramid-shaped organs perched atop the kidneys (suprarenal glands)
Although it looks like one gland, like the pituitary gland, it has both glandular (cortex)
and neural tissue (medulla) parts
Each adrenal gland is structurally and functionally two endocrine glands:
o Adrenal cortex
o Adrenal medulla

Adrenal Cortex
Produces 3 major groups of steroid hormones collectively called Corticosteroids
o Mineralocorticoids
o Glucocorticoids
o Sex hormones

Mineralocorticoids
o Produced by the outermost layer of the adrenal cortex
o Regulates the mineral content of the blood
o Ex. Aldosterone

Glucocorticoids
Produced in the middle layer of the cortex
Promotes normal cell metabolism
Helps the body to resist long-term stressors by increase in blood glucose levels
Both male and female sex hormones are produced by the innermost layer of the
adrenal cortex throughout life in relatively small amounts
Ex. Cortisol

Adrenal Medulla
Develops from a knot of nervous tissue
When stimulated by the SNS, produces epinephrine and norepinephrine
o Help to react with the bodys fight or flight response

Cushings Disease
Glucocorticoid excess due to an ACTH-releasing pituitary tumor
Characterized by:
o Persistent hyperglycemia
o Dramatic losses in muscle and bone protein
o Water and salt retention, leading to hypertension and edema

PANCREAS
Mixed gland composed of both endocrine and exocrine gland cells
o Exocrine cells?
o Endocrine cells?

Islets of Langerhans (Pancreatic Islets)

o Alpha () cells
Production of glucagon

o Beta () cells
Insulin production

PINEAL GLAND
Tiny, pine coneshaped organ that hangs from the roof of the third ventricle in the
diencephalon
Pinealocytes
Production of melatonin
Powerful antioxidant and amine hormone derived from serotonin
Blood concentrations in the blood rise and fall in a diurnal (daily) cycle

THYMUS
Lobulated gland located deep to the sternum in the thorax
In size throughout adulthood
Thymopoietins, thymic factor, and thymosins
o For normal development of T lymphocytes and the immune response

GONADS
Ovaries and testes

 Produce steroid sex hormones identical to those produced by adrenal cortical cells

Ovaries
o Estrogens and progesterone
Maturation of the reproductive organs and the appearance of the secondary
sex characteristics of females
Promote breast development and cyclic changes in the uterine mucosa
(menstrual cycle)

Testes
o Produce sperm
o Testosterone
Maturation of the male reproductive organs
o Appearance of secondary sex characteristics and sex drive
o Normal sperm production