Hormonal Regulation
Unit 1: The Endocrine System
Unit Outline
Part 1: General properties of the endocrine system
- Endocrine vs Exocrine glands
- General functions of hormones
- Hormone secretion: regulation and stimuli
- Types of hormones
- Types of receptors
- Endocrine vs Nervous systems
Part 2: Major endocrine organs and their secretions
- Hypothalamus and pituitary glands
- Thyroid gland
- Parathyroid gland
- Adrenal cortex and adrenal medulla
- Pancreas
- Ovaries and testes
- Stomach and duodenum
- Thymus and pineal gland
- The special nature of prostaglandins
Learning Objectives
At the end of this unit, you should be able to:
I. Define “gland”.
II. Distinguish between endocrine glands and exocrine glands.
III. Describe the purpose and regulation of hormone secretion.
IV. Describe stimuli for hormone secretion.
V. Describe the main categories of hormones, and how this relates to their receptors and signaling pathways.
VI. Compare and contrast the nervous and endocrine systems.
VII. Identify on a diagram of the human body the locations of important endocrine glands.
VIII. Describe the hypothalamus and pituitary glands and their interrelationship.
IX. Describe the function and secretion of hormones released by the pituitary gland.
X. Describe the function and secretion of hormones released by the thyroid gland.
XI. Describe the function and secretion of hormones released by the parathyroid glands.
XII. Describe the function and secretion of hormones released by the adrenal gland.
XIII. Describe the function and secretion of hormones released by the pancreas.
XIV. Name the hormones produced by the following glands and describe their actions: ovaries, testes, stomach, duodenum, thymus and pineal gland.
XV. Describe prostaglandins, referring to their composition, where they are produced, where they generally have an effect, and four effects.
Learning Objectives and Guiding Questions
At the end of this unit, you should be able to complete all the following tasks, including answering the guiding questions associated with each task.
I. Define “gland”.
II. Distinguish between endocrine glands and exocrine glands.
- Describe the different means by which exocrine and endocrine glands release their secretions.
- Identify the general difference between the types of secretions that these two types of glands secrete and name two examples of secretions from each type of gland.
- Name two organs in the body that have both exocrine and endocrine functions. Identify the exocrine and endocrine secretions of one of these organs.
III. Describe the purpose and regulation of hormone secretion.
- Specify the fundamental function of the endocrine system (include the definition of homeostasis).
- Describe six overall functions of hormones.
- Describe an example of a hormonally based positive feedback mechanism, justifying why this example can be considered as one of positive feedback.
- Name and describe the more common method of hormone regulation. Identify the end