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The Endocrine System

The document discusses the endocrine system, which regulates hormones that act as messengers to control body functions. It describes the main endocrine glands like the pituitary, thyroid, and pancreas, which secrete hormones directly into the bloodstream. Hormones can influence distant cells and have long-lasting effects. The endocrine system maintains homeostasis through negative feedback loops that regulate hormone production and levels.

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Rahul Malik
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© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
191 views

The Endocrine System

The document discusses the endocrine system, which regulates hormones that act as messengers to control body functions. It describes the main endocrine glands like the pituitary, thyroid, and pancreas, which secrete hormones directly into the bloodstream. Hormones can influence distant cells and have long-lasting effects. The endocrine system maintains homeostasis through negative feedback loops that regulate hormone production and levels.

Uploaded by

Rahul Malik
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The

Endocrine
System
(var%lzkoh ra= )
By: Rahul Malik
March, 2016

Contents:

Click on links to open page

Introduction

Types of Glands

Endocrine glands

Exocrine glands

What are Hormones?

How Hormones work?

Hormones Types

Classification of hormones

Homeostasis

Negative Feedback

The endocrine system is a control system of ductless glands that


secrete hormones within specific organs. Hormones act as
"messengers," and are carried by the bloodstream to different cells
in the body, which interpret these messages and act on them.
The endocrine system provides an electrochemical connection
from the hypothalamus of the brain to all the organs that control the
body metabolism, growth and development, and reproduction.
The endocrine system regulates its hormones through negative
feedback, except in very specific cases like childbirth. Increases in
hormone activity decrease the production of that hormone. The immune system and other factors contribute as control factors also,
altogether maintaining constant levels of hormones.

The endocrine and nervous systems often work toward the same
goal. Both influence other cells with chemicals (hormones and
neurotransmitters). However, they attain their goals differently.
Neurotransmitters act immediately (within milliseconds) on adjacent muscle, gland, or other nervous cells, and their effect is shortlived. In contrast, hormones take longer to produce their intended
effect (seconds to days), may affect any cell, nearby or distant, and
produce effects that last as long as they remain in the blood, which
could be up to several hours

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Types of Glands
Endocrine Glands
are those glands which have no duct and release their secretions
directly into the intercellular fluid or into the blood. The collection of
endocrine glands makes up the endocrine system.

The main endocrine glands are the pituitary (anterior and posterior lobes), thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal (cortex and medulla),
pancreas and gonads.
The pituitary gland is attached to the hypothalamus of the lower
forebrain.
The thyroid gland consists of two lateral masses, connected by a
cross bridge, that are attached to the trachea. They are slightly
inferior to the larynx.
The parathyroid glands are four masses of tissue, two embedded
posterior in each lateral mass of the thyroid gland.
One adrenal gland is located on top of each kidney. The cortex
is the outer layer of the adrenal gland. The medulla is the inner
core.
The pancreas is along the lower curvature of the stomach, close
to where it meets the first region of the small intestine, the duodenum.
The gonads (ovaries and testes) are found in the pelvic cavity

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Exocrine Glands
are those which release their cellular secretions through a duct which
empties to the outside or into the lumen (empty internal space) of an organ. These include certain sweat glands, salivary and pancreatic glands,
and mammary glands. They are not considered a part of the endocrine
system.

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Hormones are chemical substances created by the body that control numerous body functions. They actually act as "messengers"
to coordinate functions of various body parts. Most hormones are
proteins consisting of amino acid chains. Functions controlled by
hormones include:

activities of entire organs


growth and development
Reproduction
sexual characteristics

usage and storage of energy


levels of fluid, salt and sugar in the blood

How Hormones Work

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Hormone Types
In the following table there are the major hormones, their target and their function :

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Classification
Hormones can be chemically classified into four groups:
1. Amino acid-derived: Hormones that are modified amino acids.
2. Polypeptide and proteins:
Hormones that are chains of amino acids of less
than or more than about 100 amino acids, respectively. Some protein hormones are
actually glycoproteins, containing glucose or other carbohydrate groups.
3. Steroids: Hormones that are lipids synthesized from cholesterol. Steroids
characterized by four interlocking carbohydrate rings.

are

4. Eicosanoids: Are lipids synthesized from the fatty acid chains of phospholipids found
in plasma membrane

The word homeostasis means the maintenance of stable internal


conditions in an organism.
Example: Blood sugar is too high, and the pancreas makes more
insulin to reduce the level of insulin. Blood sugar goes down.
When it is low enough, the production ceases. Insulin will be
produced again when blood sugar again increases.

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Endocrine glands create and store hormones. These glands have


a sensing and signaling system which regulate the duration and
magnitude of hormone release via a negative feedback loop
from the target cell.

Through negative feedback, when the amount of a particular


hormone in the blood reaches a certain level, the endocrine
system sends signals that stop the release of that hormone.
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Rahul Malik

Thank You

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