Endocrine System CHEMICAL STRUCTURE OF HORMONES

Coordination of Body Functions by Chemical 1. Proteins and Polypeptides Hormones

Messengers • Hormones secreted by the anterior and
posterior pituitary gland, pancreas,
1. Neurotransmitters – released by the axon
parathyroid gland, etc.
terminals of neurons to the synaptic junction
• Stored in secretory vesicles until they
and act locally to control nerve cell functions
are needed
2. Endocrine Hormones- released by the glands
• Polypeptides with 100 or more amino
and specialized cells into a circulating blood and
acids are called proteins while the ones
influence the function of target cells at another
with less than 100 amino acids are
location in the body
called peptides.
3. Neuroendocrine Hormones – excreted by
• Proteins and polypeptides synthesize
neurons into the circulating blood and influence
on the rough ER
the function of target cell at other location in
the body • Synthesize first as proteins that are not
4. Paracrines– secreted by cells into the biologically active, sometimes called
extracellular fluid and affect neighboring target preprohormones that are cleaved to
cells at different type form small prohormones in the ER
5. Autocrines - secreted by cells into the • Prohormones are transferred to Golgi
extracellular fluid and effect the function of the apparatus for packaging into the
same cells that produce them secretory vesicles
6. Cytokines- peptides secreted by cells into the • The enzymes and vesicles cleaved the
extracellular fluid and can function as prohormones to produce smaller
autocrines, paracrines, or endocrine hormones biologically active hormones and
inactive fragments
ENDOCRINE HORMONES • The vesicles are stored into the
Hormones - are chemical substances released by the cytoplasm and many are bound into the
endocrine cells into the extracellular fluids and cell membrane until their secretion is
regulate the metabolic activity of other cells in the needed
body. It affects the target organs found in your body. • Secretion of the hormones and inactive
fragments occurs when the secretory
MAJOR ENDOCRINE ORGANS vesicles fuse with the cell membrane
and granular contents are extruded into
1. Hypothalamus
the interstitial fluid or directly into the
2. Pineal gland
blood stream or exocytosis
3. Pituitary gland
4. Thyroid gland • Stimulus increase calcium ion and
5. Thymus gland cyclic adenosine monophosphate
6. Parathyroid glands (AMP)
7. Adrenal glands 2. Steroid Hormones
8. Pancreas • Secreted by adrenal cortex ,ovaries,
9. Kidneys testes, placenta
10. Adipose tissue • Usually synthesized from cholesterol
11. Small intestine and are not stored
12. Gonads (ovaries & testes) • The chemical structure is similar to the
cholesterol
(print guyton *868) • In most instances, hormones are
synthesized in cholesterol
 • Soluble and consist of 3 cyclohexyl
rings and cycopentyl ring bind into a
single structure
• Although there is only little storage in
steroid producing endocrine cells, large
storage of cholesterol esters inside the
plasm vacuoles can be rapidly
mobilized for steroid synthesis after a
stimulus
• Much of cholesterol producing cells
comes from plasma
• There are also de novo synthesis on
cholesterol in steroid producing cells
• Because steroids are highly lipid soluble,
once they are synthesized they can
simply diffuse across the cell
membrane and enter the interstitial
fluid and then into the blood
3. Derivatives of Tyrosine
• Secreted by thyroid and adrenal
medulla. There are no known
polysaccharides and nucleic acid
hormones
• Amine hormones are derived from
amino acid tyrosine
• The two groups of hormones derived
from tyrosine are thyroid and adrenal
medullary hormones
• They are formed by the actions of the
enzymes in the cytoplasmic
compartments of the glandular cells
HORMONE ACTION