SB7.

1p Hormones

Hormones

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 SB7.1p Hormones

Glands
 A gland is an organ that contains cells which produce
particular substances.
 An exocrine gland releases what it produces on to a
surface, often through a tube or duct.
 Examples of exocrine glands include sweat glands in the
skin, and the parts of the pancreas that release digestive
enzymes and other substances into the gut.
 An endocrine gland releases what it produces into the
blood. Endocrine glands produce hormones.

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 SB7.1p Hormones

 Blood carries hormones around the body.

 Target cells in other parts of the body respond to the
presence of a hormone by changing the way they work.
 For example, heart cells contract faster and harder when
they are stimulated by adrenalin.

Question
Define the term hormone.
Answer
A hormone is a chemical substance made in an endocrine
gland, that is carried around the body in the blood and
changes how target cells work.

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 SB7.1p Hormones

Endocrine glands
In which endocrine glands is each of these hormones
made?
 testosterone
 oestrogen
 progesterone
 thyroxine
 adrenalin
 insulin
 growth hormone

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 SB7.1p Hormones

Answer
testosterone – made in the testes
oestrogen and progesterone – made in the ovaries
thyroxine – made in the thyroid gland
adrenalin – made in the adrenal glands
insulin – made in the pancreas
growth hormone – made in the pituitary gland

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 SB7.1p Hormones

The response of target cells depends on the

concentration of hormone they receive.
 For example, the resting blood concentration of
adrenalin is less than 10 ng/dm3.
 During exercise, when the heart beats faster, this
concentration increases by about 10 times.

Question
Calculate the blood concentration of adrenalin during
exercise in micrograms per dm3.
Answer
10 × 10 = 100 ng/dm3 = 0.1 µg/dm3

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 SB7.1p Hormones

 After a shock, heart rate is much faster because the

blood concentration of adrenalin may be more than
0.5 µg/dm3.

Question
How many times larger is this value than the resting
concentration?
Answer
0.5 µg = 500 ng, so the concentration increases by at least
500/10 which is at least 50 times larger than the resting
concentration.

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 SB7.1p Hormones

Unless more hormone is released from the endocrine

gland, its concentration in the blood will fall. This happens
due to:
 excretion in urine from the kidneys
 some hormones are taken into cells and broken down
into other substances there
 some hormones are broken down in the blood.
Question
Suggest how these processes help to control hormone
effects.
Answer
If concentration didn’t fall, target cells would be continually
stimulated.
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 SB7.1p Hormones

 Adrenalin released during exercise or a shock may be

cleared from the blood in a few minutes, while it may
take a week for the blood concentration of thyroxine to
reduce by a half.
 It can take less than a second for a nerve impulse from a
pain receptor in a toe to reach the brain.
Question
Compare the responses of the nervous system and the
hormonal system.
Answer
The nervous system is much faster, and is directed to a
particular effector (e.g. a muscle).
The hormonal system is slower and one hormone may
affect many different target cells.
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