Biology 235 Human Anatomy and Physiology

Study Guide

Chapter 18
The Endocrine System

Objectives

After completing this chapter, you should be able to

  1. compare the control of body functions by the endocrine system and the nervous system.
  2. distinguish between the exocrine and endocrine glands.
  3. describe how hormones interact with target cell receptors.
  4. compare the two chemical classes of hormones, based on their solubility.
  5. describe the two general mechanisms of hormone action.
  6. describe the mechanisms of control of hormone secretion.
  7. describe the locations of and the relationships between the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland.
  8. describe the location, histology, hormones and functions of the endocrine glands listed below:
    1. anterior and posterior pituitary
    2. thyroid gland
    3. parathyroid glands
    4. adrenal glands
    5. pancreatic islets
    6. ovaries
    7. testes
    8. pineal gland
    9. thymus.
  9. describe the actions of eicosanoids and growth factors.
  10. describe the body’s response to stress.
  11. describe the causes and symptoms of the disorders listed below:
    1. pituitary dwarfism, giantism and acromegaly
    2. diabetes insipidus
    3. congenital hypothyroidism (cretinism), myxedema, Graves’ disease and goiter
    4. Addison’s disease and Cushing’s syndrome
    5. diabetes mellitus and hyperinsulism.

Keywords and Topics

Make certain that you can define, and use in context, each of the terms listed below, and that you understand the significance of each of the concepts.

  1. Compare the control of body functions by the endocrine system and the nervous system.
    1. hormone
    2. comparison of control (Table 18.1)
  2. Distinguish between the exocrine and endocrine glands.
    1. exocrine gland
    2. endocrine gland
  3. Describe how hormones interact with target cell receptors.
    1. hormone activity
      1. receptor
      2. down regulation
      3. up regulation
      4. circulating hormone
      5. local hormone
      6. paracrine
      7. autocrine
  4. Compare the two chemical classes of hormones, based on their solubility.
    1. chemical classes of hormones
      1. lipid soluble hormones
        1. steroid hormones
        2. thyroid hormones
        3. nitric oxide (NO)
      2. water soluble hormones
        1. amine hormones
        2. peptide hormones and protein hormones
        3. glycoprotein hormones
        4. eicosanoid hormones
        5. prostaglandins
        6. leukotrienes
      3. hormone transport in the blood
      4. transport proteins
      5. free fraction
  5. Describe the two general mechanisms of hormone action.
    1. mechanisms of hormone action
      1. action of lipid soluble hormones
      2. action of water soluble hormones
        1. first messenger
        2. second messenger
        3. cyclic AMP (cAMP)
        4. G protein
        5. adenylate cyclase
      3. hormone interactions
        1. permissive effect
        2. synergistic effect
        3. antagonistic effects
  6. Describe the mechanisms of control of hormone secretion.
    1. control of hormone secretion
  7. Describe the locations of and the relationships between the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland.
    1. hypothalamus and pituitary gland or hypophysis
      1. pituitary gland and hypothalamus
      2. infundibulum
      3. anterior pituitary or anterior lobe or adenohypophysis
      4. pars intermedia
      5. releasing hormones
      6. inhibiting hormones
      7. hypophyseal portal system
      8. neurosecretory cell
      9. tropic hormones
  8. Describe the location, histology, hormones and functions of the endocrine glands listed below.
    1. anterior and posterior pituitary
      1. anterior pituitary hormones (several are tropic hormones or tropins, see also Table 18.3)
        1. human growth hormone (hGH) or somatotropin
          1. GHRH
          2. GHIH
          3. insulinlike growth factors (IGFs)
        2. thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) or thyrotropin
          1. TRH
          2. growth hormone—inhibiting hormone
        3. gonadotropins
          1. follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)
          2. luteinizing hormone (LH)
          3. gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)
        4. prolactin (PRL)
          1. PRH
          2. PIH
        5. adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) or corticotropin
          1. corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH)
        6. melanocyte-stimulating hormone
      2. control of secretion by the anterior pituitary
      3. posterior pituitary or neurohypophysis
        1. hypothalamohypophyseal tract
        2. oxytocin (OT)
        3. antidiuretic hormone (ADH) or vasopressin
        4. pituicytes
      4. control of secretion by the posterior pituitary
        1. osmoreceptors
    2. thyroid gland
      1. lateral lobes
      2. isthmus
      3. thyroid follicles
      4. follicular cells
      5. thyroid hormones
        1. thyroxine or tetraiodothyronine or T4
        2. triiodothyronine or T3
      6. parafollicular cells or C cells
      7. calcitonin
      8. formation, storage and release of thyroid hormones
        1. thyroglobulin (TGB)
      9. actions of thyroid hormones
        1. basal metabolic rate (BMR)
        2. calorigenic effect
      10. control of thyroid hormone secretion
      11. calcitonin
    3. parathyroid glands
      1. chief (principal) cells
      2. parathyroid hormone (PTH) or parathormone
      3. calcitriol
      4. control of secretion of calcitonin and parathyroid hormone
    4. adrenal glands
      1. adrenal glands or suprarenal glands
        1. adrenal cortex
        2. zona glomerulosa
          1. mineralocorticoids
        3. zona fasciculate
          1. glucocorticoids
        4. zona reticularis
          1. androgens
        5. aldosterone
        6. renin angiotensin aldosterone (RAA) pathway
          1. renin
          2. angiotensinogen
          3. angiotensin (I and II)
        7. glucocorticoids
          1. cortisol or hydrocortisone
          2. corticosterone
          3. cortisone
          4. effects of glucocorticoids
          5. control of glucocorticoid secretion involves corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH)
        8. androgens
        9. adrenal medulla
          1. chromaffin cells
          2. epinephrine and norepinephrine (NE)
          3. control of secretion of epinephrine and norepinephrine
    5. pancreatic islets
      1. pancreas
      2. acini
      3. pancreatic islets or islets of Langerhans
      4. alpha or A cells
        1. glucagon
      5. beta or B cells
        1. insulin
      6. delta or D cells
        1. somatostatin
      7. F cells
        1. pancreatic polypeptide
      8. control of secretion of glucagon and insulin
    6. ovaries
      1. estrogens
      2. progesterone
      3. inhibin
      4. relaxin
    7. testis (plural is testes)
      1. testosterone
      2. inhibin
    8. pineal gland
      1. pinealocytes
      2. melatonin
    9. thymus
      1. thymosin, thymic humoral factor, thymic factor and thymopoietin
    10. other hormones—see Table 18.11
  9. Describe the actions of eicosanoids and growth factors.
    1. eicosanoids
    2. growth factors
  10. Describe the body’s response to stress.
    1. stress and the general adaptation syndrome
      1. fight-or-flight response
      2. resistance reaction
      3. exhaustion
      4. stress and disease
  11. Describe the causes and symptoms of the disorders listed below.
    1. disorders
      1. pituitary gland disorders
      2. pituitary dwarfism
      3. giantism
      4. acromegaly
      5. diabetes insipidus
      6. thyroid gland disorders
      7. congenital hypothyroidism
      8. myxedema
      9. Graves’ disease
      10. goiter
      11. Cushing’s syndrome
      12. Addison’s disease
      13. pancreatic islet disorders
      14. diabetes mellitus
      15. hypoglycemia
      16. hyperglycemia

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