Endocrine system
Hormones - chemical controllers
Endocrine system
Hormones in humans
Hormones are produced
in endocrine glands
They are di erent from other glands in
our body, such as sweat glands, because
the hormones made by endocrine glands
pass directly into the blood
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Hormones are different from nerves
because they travel through the
bloodstream to all parts of the body
Particular cells called target cells
will respond to hormones
Nerves act only on muscles and
glands
How hormones activate
target cells
The pituitary -
responds to
information
(hormones) from an
area of the brain
called the
hypothalamus which
links the nervous and
endocrine system
Pituitary: pit - YOU - it - tree
The pituitary - the master gland that
controls other endocrine glands and
important aspects of the body such
as body temperature, rate of
metabolism, and water content
Pituitary: pit - YOU - it - tree
For example:
Hormones
released from the
thyroid gland in
your neck is
controlled by a
thyroid-stimulating
hormone from the
pituitary.
Growth and
development in humans
How hormones from the pituitary
affect growth and puberty
• Before puberty, growth is
controlled by the pituitary
gland that releases growth
hormones
• 10-15 years old. Pituitary
gland releases hormones to
the reproductive organs that
causes changes in the body
and starts puberty
How hormones from the pituitary
gland affect growth and puberty
• In males, the hormone causes the
testes to produce sperm and
testosterone. Testosterone causes
growth of facial hair and rapid
muscular growth
• In females, the hormone causes the
ovaries to produce eggs, start the
menstrual cycle and produce
oestrogen. Oestrogen causes
growth of body hair, storage of fat
under the skin and development of
breasts
If you have noticed these changes do not
worry
It is a normal phase of growing up
Take pictures and
notes at each
stage of the
dissection
because you will
need to label them
and use them for
your report!!!
Hormones in plants
Have you ever observed
this in plants?
• Plants that close their leaves at night
• Plants that turn red in autumn and lose their
leaves in winter
• Plants that respond to touch
How do plants do it?
• Plants have no nervous system, muscles or
specialised glands. So how do they detect
stimuli and react to them?
• Plant hormones!!!
• These chemical compounds are made by
certain cells and are distributed throughout the
plant
Plant hormones
• Control the growth of stems and roots, the ripening
of fruits 🍉 and loss of leaves in autumn 🍂
• It also determine when a plant will ower 🌺 and
when seeds will germinate 🌱
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Response to light
Hormones called auxins control the growth of stem and
roots. They make plants bend towards light
Fruit ripening hormones
• There is a gas which is
naturally produced by plants
to assist in the development
of fruits: Ethylene
• This gas helps convert
starch into sugar (helping
the fruit to ripen)
• Ripening hormone in fruits:
Ethylene
Homeostasis
Homeo means ‘same’ Stasis means ‘state’
The body works most e ciently when its internal
environment is kept the same. E.g. water, temperature,
energy and oxygen levels, etc
The process of maintaining a constant internal
environment is called homeostasis
It involves receptors that are sensitive to a particular
stimulus and e ectors, muscles or glands that have en
e ect on the same stimulus
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Body balance
Homeostasis
Heat balance
Our body is always around 37 oC
Chemical reactions in our body
work best at this temperature
Because we are warm blooded like other
mammals and birds, we operate best at a
set point temperature
The set point 39oC 31oC
temperature varies from
species to another
Organisms that can
maintain constant body
temperatures are called
endothermic and those
that cannot are called
ectothermic
Heat balance
Why is it called a
feedback system?
It is also knows as a negative
feedback loop or mechanism
Feedback system: body temperature
Body balance
Water balance
Water balance in our body
• About 70% of our body mass is water
• We lose water regularly by sweating,
breathing, and through liquid and solid
wastes
• The kidneys are responsible for water
balance in your body
Water balance in our body
• Kidneys lter wastes from your blood
• Your body contains about 5 Litres of blood
and about 1 Litre of this passes through the
kidneys every minute
• So every 5 minutes all the blood in your
body is ltered. The by product is called
urine
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How do we lose and
replenish water?
Water balance through the kidneys
Feedback system: water content
ADH
Activity:
Kidney dissection
Body balance
Sugar balance
Diabetes
It is caused by the pancreas not
producing any or enough hormone
insulin
High levels of glucose in the blood cause serious problems in the body. The
blood vessels and nerves are the most a ected. The walls of the small blood
vessels thicken and block blood supply. A ects eyes, legs, kidney, and heart
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The 2 types of diabetes
Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body stops
making insulin. This type is found in only 10–15% of all
diabetes su erers, and it occurs mainly in younger people.
It cannot be prevented and is treated by daily insulin
injections.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common type and it occurs
mainly in people over 40 who are overweight and inactive,
have high blood pressure or heart disease, or in women
who develop diabetes in pregnancy.
Diabetes is a serious illness for which there is no cure at
present. You cannot cure diabetes but you can control it.
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Body balance
When facing fear, danger or stress
Fight, freeze or ight response
Both the endocrine and nervous systems work together
to respond
Nervous system releases adrenaline and cortisol
hormones
This increases heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure,
blood glucose levels rise to provide muscles with
energy, pupils adjust, sweat glands activate and
digestion slows down
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Main ideas and review
questions to check for
understanding
• Food for thought:
• If someone has diabetes, which endocrine gland is
potentially not working properly.
• If someone has growth problems, which endocrine
gland is not working?
• If someone has poor balance after an accident,
which part of the brain is affected?
• If someone has poor memory after an accident
which part of the brain is affected?
• How do different types of drugs, poisons,
insecticides work on the nervous system?