Introduction to Human Physiology.

Homeostasis.

• Physiology - Greek word

Physis-------nature
Logos-------study

• It is the study of biological functions of how the body works

from cell to tissues, tissues to organs, organs to systems, from
systems to organism and how the organism as a whole
accomplishes particular tasks essential for life.
• The goal of physiology

is to explain the physical and chemical factors that are

responsible for the origin, development, and progression of
life

• In human physiology, we attempt to explain the specific

characteristics and mechanisms of the human body that
make it a living being.

• Normal physiology is the science concerning the

mechanisms of the vital activity of the healthy organism.
 Main tasks of physiology:

• Studying of functions of organism, its parts and their interaction.

• Studying of organism adaptation to the environment.

• Studying of organism functions in ontogenesis.

• Theory of health and health life style.

• The connection of physiology with other sciences.

 Main stages of physiology development:

1. Ancient physiology ( 6-th century new er. – 15th cent.) – schools of

Hippocrates, Aristotel.
2. Experimental physiology (W. Harwey, 1628): experimental dates
accumulation, analytic direction prevailing.
3. Modern experimental physiology (20th cent.): experiments on the
human, system analysis in physiological investigations, studying of
the social factors influences to the physiological functions –
physiology of job, ecological physiology.
 Subject studying physiology
is a living system or organism.
• The organism - is a complex, dynamic, open system
that communicates with the environment of
substances, energy and information.
Levels of organization in the body:
 Levels of organization in the body:

1. Chemical level.
2. The cell is the basic living unit of the body.
3. The tissues are group of cells of similar specialization.
4. An organ is unit made up of several tissue types.
5. A body system is a collection of related organs.
6. Organism level - the body systems are packaged together
into a functional whole body.
 Characteristics of Life
1. Specificity structure: proteins and nucleic acids are sources of life.
2. Responsiveness is an organisms ability to sense changes taking
place inside or outside its body and to react to these changes.

3. Growth and differentiation is an increase in body size, usually

without any important change in shape.

4. Reproduction is the process of making a new individual, as when

parents produce an offspring. Cells reproduce, too, usually to repair
injured.
 Characteristics of Life
1. Movement can be
• Internal - to motion of internal parts, such as the beating of the
heart, materials such as oxygen CO2 , substances through digestive
tract.
• External – often refers to a self-initiated change in an organisms
position or to its traveling from one place to another – swimming,
walking, running…
 Characteristics of Life
6. Metabolism and Excretion:
• Organisms rely on complex chemical reactions to provide energy and
to synthesize proteins.
• Metabolism – all chemical operations in the body.
• Nutrients used for growth, maintenance and energy.
• Respiration – the absorption, transport and use of oxygen by cells.
• Excretion – potentially harmful wastes of metabolic operations that
must be removed from body fluids.
 External and internal environment

• The External environment - an environment surrounding the

body, characterized by the variability of its parameters
(temperature, humidity, pressure, light).
• The Internal environment - is a liquid, washing the cells,
tissues, organs. It includes blood, intercellular fluid and
lymph.
• Claude Bernard, a great French scientist of the 19th century
marked the term “Internal Environment" and created the
concept of its constancy.
• Parameters of IE are constant : temperature, pH, osmotic,
oncotic pressure of the blood, blood glucose concentration,
ion composition of blood, blood gas partial pressure, etc.
 Functions of the internal environment:
• The protective function - protects cells and tissues from the
external environment vibrations.

• Participation in metabolism.

• Participation in the self-regulation mechanisms.

• Preservation of cell constancy.

Intracellular and extracellular fluid
 Features of the internal environment:
I. Homeostasis
II. Hystohematic barriers

The term “Homeostasis” was first introduced by W. Cannon,

american physiologist in 1928 although the principles of
homeostasis was described by C. Bernard.
The term Homeostasis means maintenance of nearly
constant conditions in the internal environment
or
Homeostasis - the body's ability to maintain the relative constancy
of the composition and functions of the internal environment.
 Features of the internal environment:

II. Hystohematic barriers - a barrier between the blood and tissues.

Histohematic barriers formed on one side of the capillary endothelial
cells and the basal membrane, on the other hand - the cells of various
tissues.
It is best expressed in the CNS - the blood-brain barrier and the blood-
cerebrospinal fluid.
 Functions of the Hystohematic barriers:
• determine the exchange of substances between blood and tissues,
the specific composition of tissue fluid, cell homeostasis;

• maintains three water chamber structure in the body (ICF, ECF,

blood);

• prevent ingress of microbes or foreign toxic substances in the

intercellular spaces.
 Factors homeostatically regulated
1. Concentration of nutrient molecules
2. Concentration of CO2 andO2
3. Concentration of waste products
4. pH
5. Concentration of water , salt and other electrolytes
6. Temperature
7. Volume and pressure
 Contribution of body systems to Homeostasis
• The Circulatory System
• The Digestive System
• The Respiratory System
• The Urinary System
• The Skeletal System
• The Muscular System
• The Integumentary System
• The Immune System
• The Nervous System
• The Endocrine System
• Reproductive system is not essential for homeostasis and therefore not
essential for survival.
 Homeostatic Control System
• Is a functionally interconnected network of body components that
operate to maintain a given physical or chemical factor in the internal
environment relatively constant around an optimal level.
Can be classified as:
• Intrinic (local controls) or autoregulation occurs when the activities of
a cells, tissues or organs adjust automatically in responses to an
enviromental change.

• Extrinic controls are results from activities of the nervous or

endocrine systems .
 Mechanisms of Extrinsic regulation of functions:

1. The humoral mechanism - the interaction between the organs,

tissues, fluids systems by means of hormones, BAS.
This is an older regulation mechanism so as in the evolution nerve
system emerged later.

2. Neuro-reflex mechanism through reflexes and consists of 3 parts:

receptor, control center, effector.
Reflex - is the body's response to stimulation of sensory receptors
with the obligatory participation of the central nervous system (CNS).
Both intrinsic and extrinsic control systems generally operate
on the principle of
• Negative feedback mechanism
• Positive feedback mechanism
 Negative Feedback
Increased arterial pressure

Baroreceptors(sensor)

Inhibit vasomotor center in medulla

Decreased impulses to heart &blood vessels

Decreased pumping activity of heart

Decreased blood pressure

Positive Feedback
 Positive Feedback
Onset of labour

Oxytocin released from hypothalmus

Increased uterine contractions

Baby’s head pushed through cervix

Stretch of cervix

More oxytocin released

Increased uterine contractions
 Methods of investigations in physiology:
1. Observing
2. Acute and chronic experiment
3. The modeling method
4. Clinic and physiological laboratory methods.