NAME: DIANGCA, MUSLIMAH D.

BS AB ENGINEERING
ANS001-TtUu

Exercise No. 4
THE ENDOCRINE SYSTEM

Introduction
The endocrine system refers to the collection of glands of an organism
that secrete hormones directly into the circulatory system to be carried toward a distant target
organ. The major endocrine glands include the pineal gland, pituitary
gland, pancreas, ovaries, testes, thyroid gland, parathyroid gland, hypothalamus, gastrointestinal
tract and adrenal glands. The endocrine system is in contrast to the exocrine system, which
secretes its hormones using ducts. Examples of exocrine glands include the sweat
glands, salivary glands, mammary glands, and liver. The endocrine system is an information
signal system like the nervous system, yet its effects and mechanism are classifiably different.
The endocrine system's effects are slow to initiate, and prolonged in their response, lasting from
a few hours up to weeks. The nervous system sends information very quickly, and responses are
generally short lived. In vertebrates, the hypothalamus is the neural control center for all
endocrine systems. The field of study dealing with the endocrine system and its disorders
is endocrinology, a branch of internal medicine.

Special features of endocrine glands are, in general, their ductless nature, their

vascularity, and commonly the presence of intracellular vacuoles or granules that store their
hormones. In contrast, exocrine glands, such as salivary glands, sweat glands, and glands within
the gastrointestinal tract, tend to be much less vascular and have ducts or a hollow lumen.

In addition to the specialized endocrine organs mentioned above, many other organs that
are part of other body systems, such as the kidney, liver, heart and gonads, have secondary
endocrine functions. For example the kidney secretes endocrine hormones such
as erythropoietin and renin.

A number of glands that signal each other in sequence are usually referred to as an axis,
for example, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.

As opposed to endocrine factors that travel considerably longer distances via the
circulatory system, other signaling molecules, such as paracrine factors involved in paracrine
signaling diffuse over a relatively short distance.

Objectives:
At the end of the exercise, the students should be able to:

1. Define the endocrine system and its functions.

2. Identify body reactions associated with adrenaline.
3. Define glands and hormones.
Materials:
Animal Science Books
Internet access

Procedure:
1. Using the references in the library or in the internet, research about the endocrine system.

GUIDE QUESTIONS:
1. Define the following terms.
a. Endocrine System:

- The endocrine system is a series of glands that produce and secrete hormones that the
body uses for a wide range of functions. These control many different bodily functions

b. Endocrine System Function:

- Your endocrine system continuously monitors the amount of hormones in your blood.
Hormones deliver their messages by locking into the cells they target so they can
relay the message. The pituitary gland senses when your hormone levels rise, and
tells other glands to stop producing and releasing hormones. When hormone levels
dip below a certain point, the pituitary gland can instruct other glands to produce and
release more. This process, called homeostasis, works similarly to the thermostat in
your house. Hormones affect nearly every process in your body

c. Hormones:

Hormones are the chemicals the endocrine system uses to send messages to organs and
tissue throughout the body. Once released into the bloodstream, they travel to their target
organ or tissue, which has receptors that recognize and react to the hormone.)

d. Glands:

- Important endocrine glands include the pituitary, thyroid, parathyroid, thymus,

and adrenal glands. There are other glands that contain endocrine tissue and secrete
hormones, including the pancreas, ovaries, and testes. The endocrine and nervous
systems work closely together

e. Pituitary Gland:
- The pituitary gland is a small pea-sized gland that plays a major role in regulating
vital body functions and general wellbeing. It is referred to as the body's 'master
gland' because it controls the activity of most other hormone-secreting glands.
 f. Thyroid gland:
- The thyroid gland is a small organ that's located in the front of the neck, wrapped
around the windpipe (trachea). It's shaped like a butterfly, smaller in the middle with
two wide wings that extend around the side of your throat

g. Adrenal gland:

- Adrenal glands, also known as suprarenal glands, are small, triangular-shaped

glands located on top of both kidneys. Adrenal glands produce hormones that help
regulate your metabolism, immune system, blood pressure, response to stress and
other essential functions
h. Reproductive glands:
i.
- A gonad, sex gland, or reproductive gland is a mixed gland that produces the gametes
(sex cells) and sex hormones of an organism. In the female of the species the
reproductive cells are the egg cells, and in the male the reproductive cells are the
sperm.

j. Adrenaline:

- Adrenaline, also known as epinephrine, is a hormone and medication which is

involved in regulating visceral functions. Adrenaline is normally produced both by
the adrenal glands and by a small number of neurons in the medulla oblongata.

k. Hypothalamus:

- The hypothalamus is a small but important area in the center of the brain. It plays
an important role in hormone production and helps to stimulate many important processes
in the body and is located in the brain, between the pituitary gland and thalamus.

2. Match the correct answer with the term. Letter only.

__d___ 1. Endocrine system a. creates amino acid hormones and secretes epinephrine
and nor-epinephrine
__c___ 2. Nervous system b. secretes female sex hormones

__f___ 3. Hormones c. fight or flight response

_a____ 4. Glands
__h___ 5. Hypothalamus
__l___ 6. Pituitary gland
d. group of ductless glands that release hormones into the
circulatory system
e. causes immediate reaction
f. chemical substances that travel through the bloodstream
and affects a gland or organ
_i____ 7. Thyroid gland
___m__ 8. Parathyroid gland
__k___ 9. Adrenal medulla
___j__ 10. Adrenal cortex
___b__ 11. Ovary
___g_ 12. Testes
____e_ 13. Epinephrine
3. Explain what is negative feedback mechanism?
g. secretes male sex hormones
h. portion of the brain that controls the pituitary gland
i. a cell or group of cells that secrete fluids
j. creates steroid hormones and secretes glucocorticoids and
aldosterone
k. creates amino acid hormones, secretes thyroxin to
stimulate growth
l. master endocrine gland, linked to hypothalamus with
nerves and vessels
m. secretes amino acid hormones and parathyroid hormone