Studentshare
Subjects
Biology
The Structure and Function of the Endocrine System in the Body

The Structure and Function of the Endocrine System in the Body - Essay Example

Add to wishlist

Summary

Hormones are chemical messages that have a specific or general effect on the target cells. They may also act on all cells, interact with receptors on cells, and modify cell physiology. Hormones…

Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing

GRAB THE BEST PAPER98.9% of users find it useful

The Structure and Function of the Endocrine System in the Body

Read Text Preview

Subject: Biology
Type: Essay
Level: Undergraduate
Pages: 7 (1750 words)
Downloads: 4
Author: jess88

Extract of sample "The Structure and Function of the Endocrine System in the Body"

Download file to see previous pages

Release of hormones is slow or fast. Hormone production ceases on attainment of the required physiological activity. The endocrine system regulates almost all the other structures of the body. The circulatory system carries the secreted hormones to all the target tissues and organs. The main function of the endocrine system is homeostasis. Homeostasis is the maintenance of the internal environment at a constant state for proper function of cells. Individual hormones affect cells that contain a specific genetic program that allow them to respond.

The secretion of hormones by the endocrine glands causes specific responses that led to corrective measures (Falvo, 2013:374). Endocrine system functions by feedback mechanisms. The hypothalamus releases a hormone that triggers the pituitary gland to produce stimulating hormones. The stimulating hormone acts on the specific gland making it to secrete its hormone (Sherwood, 2012a, p19). When the level of this hormone increases in the blood, the hypothalamus and pituitary gland stop their secretion.

The secretion by the target gland eventually stops. The cells contain receptors on the membrane. The hormones bind to specific receptors trough the key-lock mechanism. Polar hormones generate a chemical signal through a second massager because they are unable to penetrate through the cell membrane (Falvo, 2013:378). The second massager activates the response of the target cell. The target cell begins the triggered activity. The non-polar hormones like the steroids enter the cell and bind to their receptors found in the cell cytoplasm.

When it gets into the cell, it binds to the receptors on the nuclear membrane. This activates the hormone receptor complex, which in turn binds to the DNA stimulating specific genes to produce proteins. The following are the major glands that integrate for the proper functioning of the endocrine system. They include the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, parathyroid gland, pancreas, ovaries,

...Download file to see next pages Read More

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF The Structure and Function of the Endocrine System in the Body

Prokaryotuc and eukarytotic cell & endocrine and exocine glands

There are number of hormones that move from here to there in the body in the flow of blood.... Level of hormones is influenced due to minerals in the blood, stress, infection in the body and misbalance in the fluid.... Endocrine glands are responsible for discharging their secretions within the body while exocrine glands secrete on the body surface.... endocrine system contains glands that are responsible for discharging their secretions....

4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Human Body Systems and Their Functions

From the paper "Human Body Systems and Their Functions," it is evident that the central nervous system plays a critical role in maintaining control over all the body parts.... Through this system, the body can have the coordination of the internal body organs.... The brain serves as the central controlling organ of the body.... On the other hand, the spinal cord plays very essential roles that involve the transmission of information sent from the body organs and external receptors....

10 Pages (2500 words) Essay

Structures of the Integumentary System

The system is known to provide protection to human beings and other mammals through elastic covering on the outer-surface of the body.... This covering is cushioned and self-repairing, while providing a water coating to the body surface.... The hair produced also provides sensitive touch sensation over surface of the body.... The function of integumentary system includes protection of human body from environmental dangers, regulation of body temperature and synthesis of vitamin D3....

4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Brain Function and Psychology

This essay, Brain Function and Psychology, stresses that the brain is not only a complex structure in the human body, but also a very crucial part in the body of a human being.... The function of the amygdala is linked to the connection with the hypothalamus, which is a part of the forebrain that contains the telencephalon and diencephalon (Nieuwenhuys et al.... This part is responsible for both the visual and auditory functions in the human body....

4 Pages (1000 words) Term Paper

The Nervous System

(5) The dorsal column-lemniscal pathway is an ascending somatic sensory pathway conveying tactile and proprioceptive information for the body and posterior third of the head.... The dorsal column-lemniscal pathway has also high degree of spatial orientation of the nerve fibres; particularly the medial fibers convey the information from the lower parts of the body while the lateral fibers related to higher segments.... The pain control system of CNS is represented by three major components: the periaqueductal grey and the nucleus raphe magnus (in the brain) and the pain inhibitory neurons of the dorsal horns in medulla spinalis....

9 Pages (2250 words) Essay

Diagnosis of Chronic Pancreatitis

The organ has a very important role to play in the digestion of substances in the body but as the pancreas has a retroperitoneal location it does not show the progression of diseases in the initial stages.... The major abnormalities caused by the non-functioning of the endocrine portion of the pancreas are diabetes mellitus and neoplasms.... The exocrine part of the gland secretes digestive enzymes which help in digesting food particles whereas the endocrine portion secretes only a limited number of enzymes such as insulin and glucagon....

9 Pages (2250 words) Essay

Aromatase-Inhibiting Anticancer Drugs Discussion

the structure, function, and binding interactions of the aromatase enzyme are still being investigated.... nbsp;The aromatase-inhibiting (AI) drugs target the aromatase enzyme in the human body.... he reason that most of the development and use of AI drugs have been for cancers of the breast is that most breast cancer cases have up to ten times the amount of estrogen found in the average circulatory system.... The aromatase enzyme has also been identified in endocrine tissues (such as ovary, uterus, prostate, and bone) and cancer associated with these issues....

5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Biopsychological Aspects of Health and Disease

The paper "Biopsychological Aspects of Health and Disease" discusses that the central nervous system plays a critical role in maintaining control over all the body parts.... The brain serves as the central controlling organ of the body.... n the other hand, the spinal cord plays very essential roles that involve the transmission of information sent from the body organs and external receptors.... Ascending tracts head to the brain with signals from all organ receptors, whereas the descending tracts carry the signal responses from the brain to body organs....

9 Pages (2250 words) Essay