Hormones

Kristi Meenan
BIOL 2254-90
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        Module:  Regulation
        Activity:  Anatomy Overviews
        Title:  Hormones

1. a. How do hormones affect long-term coordination of body activities?

Hormones coordinate and regulate the activities of cells and organs,
which is why they have an important role in maintaining body
homeostasis. They regulate sleep, body temperature, hunger, stress,
growth, development, and reproduction.

b. In what ways are hormones distinguished from each other?

All hormones have target cells. These are the only place the hormone will
“work”. If a hormone isn’t at the target cell nothing will happen.

2. The pineal gland secretes melatonin. Explain the function of melatonin.

Melatonin helps maintain the body's circadian rhythm, which is our
bodies clock. It helps us know when to fall asleep and when to wake up.

3. a. What stimulates Parathyroid Hormone secretion? Low blood calcium

levels stimulate secretion of parathyroid hormone.

b. Bone osteoclasts are one PTH target. Describe the affect of PTH on these
cells, and the corresponding affect on body homeostasis. It increases bone
resorption by osteoclasts. This helps bones to heal, grow and fix themselves
after a break or fracture.

c. Kidney nephrons are also PTH targets. Describe the affect of PTH on these
structures, and the corresponding affect on body homeostasis. It slows the rate that calcium and
magnesium are lost from blood into the urine. It increases loss of phosphate from blood into the urine. So
it decreases blood phosphate levels and increases blood calcium and magnesium levels. It also promotes
formation of the hormone calcitriol which is the active form of vitamin D.

4. What are the functions of each of the following hypothalamic hormones?

a. Releasing Hormones: the function is to stimulate a secretion from the

target cells.

b. Oxytocin: the function is to stimulate contractions of the uterus during

labor and to stimulate mammary glands to cause milk ejection for nursing
a baby.

c. Antidiuretic Hormone (ADH): the function is conserve body water by

decreasing urine, decrease water lost through perspiration and raises
blood pressure.
5. What are the functions of each of the following pituitary hormones?

a. Human Growth Hormone (hGH): function is to stimulate the liver, muscle,

cartilage, bone and other tissues to synthesize and secrete and insulinlike
growth factor that promotes growth of body cells, protein synthesis,
tissue repair, lipolysis and elevation of blood glucose concentration.

b. Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH): the function is to stimulate synthesis

and secretion of thyroid hormones by the thyroid gland.

c. Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH) and Luteinizing Hormone (LH): the function in females is to initiate
development of oocytes and induces ovarian secretion of estrogens. In males the function is to stimulate
testes to produce sperm.

d. Prolactin (PRL) : the function is to promote milk production by mammary glands.

e. Adrenocorticotropic Hormone (ACTH) : the function is to stimulate secretion of glucocorticoids by the

adrenal cortex.

f. Melanocyte-Stimulating Hormone (MSH) : the function in humans is unknown but it is thought to influence
brain activity.

6. Describe the functions of thyroid hormones (T3 and T4). The functions of
thyroid hormones is to increase basal metabolic rate in the body. Also to stimulate
synthesis of proteins, increase use of glucose and fatty acids for ATP production,
increase lipolysis, enhance cholesterol excretion and accelerate body growth. It also
contributes to the development of the nervous system.

7. Describe the function of thymic hormones. The function of thymus hormones

is to promote the maturation of T cells. T cells are a type of white blood cell that
destroys bacteria, and foreign substances and in highly involved in immunity.

8. The heart secretes Atrial Natriuretic Hormone (ANP). Describe its

functions. The function is to decrease blood pressure.

9. The G cells of the gastric mucosa produce the hormone gastrin and the
duodenal mucosa produces secretin and cholecystokinin (CCK). What are the
functions of these hormones?

a. Gastrin: promotes the secretion of gastric juices.

b. Secretin: stimulates the release of insulin by pancreatic beta cells.
c. Cholecystokinin (CCK): stimulates the secretion of pancreatic juice, regulates
the release of bile from the gallbladder, and causes feeling of fullness after eating.

10. Pancreatic alpha cells secrete glucagon, while the beta cells secrete insulin.
Describe the functions of these hormones.

a. Glucagon: its function is to raise blood glucose levels by accelerating

the breakdown of glycogen into glucose in the liver, converting other
nutrients into glucose in the liver and releasing glucose into the blood.
 b. Insulin: the function is to lower blood glucose levels by accelerating the transport of glucose into cells,
converting glucose into glycogen, decreasing glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis, increasing lipogenesis and
stimulating protein synthesis.

11. Ovarian follicle cells and corpus luteum produce estrogens, progesterone,
relaxin, and inhibin. Describe the function of these hormones.

a. Estrogens and Progesterone: function with FSH and LH to regulate the

menstrual cycle, maintain pregnancy, and prepare the mammary glands
for lactation. They also enlarge the breasts and widen the hips at
puberty and help maintain these female secondary sex characteristics.
b. Relaxin : the function is to increase the flexibility of the pubic
symphysis during pregnancy, helps dilate uterine cervix during labor and
delivery.

c. Inhibin: Inhibits secretion of FSH from anterior pituitary.

12. Within the testes, the Leydig cells produce testosterone while the Sertoli cells produce inhibin.
Describe the function of these hormones.

a. Testosterone: This hormone stimulates descent of testes before birth, regulates

spermatogenesis, promotes development and maintenance of male secondary sex
characteristics.

b. Inhibin: This hormone inhibits the secretion of FSH from the anterior pituitary gland.

13. How do lipid soluble hormones work to alter cell function? Lipid-soluble
hormones include steroid hormones, thyroid hormones, and nitric oxide. Lipid-
soluble hormones are able to diffuse across the membranes of both
the endocrine cell where they are produced and the target cell. These hormones can
bind to receptors that are located either in the cytoplasm of the cell or the nucleus
of the cell. When these hormones bind to the receptors, it signals the cell to
synthesize more or less mRNA from a gene, which results in more or less protein.

14. How do water soluble hormones work to alter cell function? (This includes an
explanation of “second messenger” function.) Water-soluble hormones include
amine hormones, peptide and protein hormones and eicosandoid hormones. Water
soluble hormones work by activating the plasma membrane receptors, which then
elicit production of a second messenger that activates various enzymes inside a
cell. The hormone, the first messenger, causes the production of a second
messenger inside the cell where specific hormone-stimulated responses take
place.

15. Explain how circulating hormones affect their targets. Circulating

hormones pass from the secretory cells that make them into interstitial
fluid and then into the blood. Most endocrine hormones are circulating
hormones.
16. Explain how eicosanoids, growth factors, and nitric oxide are examples
of local hormones. Local hormones act locally on neighboring cells or on
the same call that secreted them without first entering the
bloodstream. The gas nitric oxide is released by endothelial cells that
line blood vessels. It causes the relaxation of nearby smooth muscle
fibers in blood vessels, which causes vasodilation. This causes lowering of
blood pressure to erection of the penis in males. Eicosanoids act as
circulating hormones and all cells except red blood cells are sites of secretion. Growth factors play an
important role in tissue development, growth, and repair. Growth hormones cause growth by stimulating cell
division.