Download What the Endocrine System Does

The Endocrine System
What the Endocrine System Does
• The Endocrine System sends signals and hormones
throughout the body to the specific place they’re
supposed to go to.
What is the Endocrine System?
• The body’s hormones , and the glands that
produce them , make up the Endocrine
System.
Hormones and glands
• The foundation of the endocrine system is the
glands and hormones.
• As the body’s chemical messengers ,
hormones transfer information and
instructions from one set of cells to another.
• Hormone levels can be influenced by factors
such as stress , infection , and changes in the
balance of fluid and minerals in the blood.
Important organs/glands of endocrine
system
• The hypothalamus- Secretes chemicals that
either suppress or stimulate hormones from
the pituitary.
• Pituitary gland-Located at the base of the
brain. Considered the most important gland of
the endocrine system.
• Pituitary gland produces
1. Growth hormone-Stimulates bone growth
and growth for other body tissues and plays
an important role in the body’s handling of
nutrients and minerals.
2. Prolactin-Activates milk production in women
who are breastfeeding.
3. Thyrotropin-Stimulates thyroid gland to
produce thyroid hormones.
4. Corticotropin-Stimulates the adrenal gland to
produce certain hormones.
Thyroid and Parathyroid
• The thyroid is located in the lower front of the
neck shaped like a bowtie/butterfly and
produces the hormones thyroxine and
triiodothyronine. These hormones determine
at what rate cells burn fuels from food for
energy.
• Thyroid hormones also play an important role
in the bone growth,brain development,and
nervous system in children.
Adrenal Glands
• The body has two adrenal glands,one on top of each
kidney.
• The outterpart of the glands,called the adrenal cortex,
produces hormones called corticosteroids that
influence or regulate salt and water balance in the
body, the body's response to stress, metabolism, the
immune system, and sexual development and
function.
• The inner part, the adrenal medulla, produces
catecholamines, such as epinephrine. Also called
adrenaline, epinephrine increases blood pressure and
heart rate when the body experiences stress.
The Pineal Gland and Gonads
• The pineal body, also called the pineal gland, is
located in the middle of the brain. It secretes
melatonin, a hormone that may help regulate the
wake-sleep cycle.
• The female gonads, the ovaries, are located in the
pelvis. They produce eggs and secrete the female
hormones estrogen and progesterone.
• The gonads are the main source of sex hormones. In
males, they are located in the scrotum. Male
gonads, or testes, secrete hormones called
androgens, the most important of which is
testosterone.
The Pancreas
• The pancreas produces (in addition to others) two
important hormones, insulin and glucagon. They
work together to maintain a steady level of glucose,
or sugar, in the blood and to keep the body supplied
with fuel to produce and maintain stores of energy.