BMS129 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Cortisol, Inositol Trisphosphate, Melanin
BMS129 Study guide - Week 9 Section 1 - Endocrinology
This topic is split into 3 lectures:
1. A general overview of the endocrine system
2. Hypothalamus and pituitary gland
3. Endocrine glands and disorders
General advice: read textbook references, lecture slides, any relevant textbook
questions, and assess learning against learning outcomes.
Section 1 - Overview of the endocrine system
Recommended readings
: Saladin Chapter 17 - pp 630-633, pp 650-658 and the first
lecture of the endocrine system lectures.
When finished with this section, test your knowledge against these learning outcomes,
and go back to revise the ones you are unfamiliar with.
1. Define hormone and endocrine system
2. Discuss differences between endocrine and exocrine glands
3. List similarities and differences between the endocrine and nervous systems
4. List the main classes of hormones, give examples of each & state how they are
synthesised
5. Describe how hormones are transported to their site of action
6. Describe how hormones stimulate their target cells & state any differences
between the 3 main groups of hormones
7. Describe how target cells can adjust their sensitivity to a hormone
Define hormone and endocrine system
The endocrine system serves to chemically control metabolic activities of cells, tissues
and organs by the means of hormones. It consists of several glands that produce and
secrete these hormones into the bloodstream.
A hormone is defined as a chemical produced in the body that serves to regulate and
influence the activity of a certain cell or organ. They exhibit specificity in that its target
cells contain specific receptor cells for specific hormones.
Note: every organ is involved in the endocrine system and every cell contains at least
one receptor to hormones. The following is a list of some major glands that you will
become more familiar with over the remainder of this section, so you don’t need to
stress about it now, but it will be a good reference later on: Pineal gland, hypothalamus,
pituitary gland, thyroid gland, thymus, adrenal gland, pancreas, parathyroid glands,
gonads: ovaries in females, testes in males.
Remember: endocrine system contains glands that secrete hormones. These hormones
are chemicals that control a specific cell/organ. Ultimately the whole system chemically
controls the activities of cells/tissues/organs.
Test yourself: Define in your own words the endocrine system and a hormone.
Discuss differences between endocrine and exocrine glands
Endocrine glands - glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream
Exocrine glands - glands that secrete hormones onto an epithelial surface, through a
duct. Recall that an epithelial surface is a surface that outlines the outer surface of
organs and blood vessels and the inner surface of internal organs.
Remember: endo generally refers to ‘into’, i.e. into the bloodstream, whilst exo generally
refers to ‘out of’, i.e. out and onto an epithelial surface.
Test yourself: What is the difference between endocrine and exocrine glands?
Document Summary
Bms129 study guide - week 9 section 1 - endocrinology. This topic is split into 3 lectures: a general overview of the endocrine system, hypothalamus and pituitary gland, endocrine glands and disorders. General advice: read textbook references, lecture slides, any relevant textbook questions, and assess learning against learning outcomes. Section 1 - overview of the endocrine system. Recommended readings : saladin chapter 17 - pp 630-633, pp 650-658 and the first lecture of the endocrine system lectures. The endocrine system serves to chemically control metabolic activities of cells, tissues and organs by the means of hormones. It consists of several glands that produce and secrete these hormones into the bloodstream. A hormone is defined as a chemical produced in the body that serves to regulate and influence the activity of a certain cell or organ. They exhibit specificity in that its target cells contain specific receptor cells for specific hormones.
