Page 63 - 86 human physiology part-2

Chapter 14

Endocrine Glands: glands that have no duct and release their secretions directly into the
intercellular fluid or into the blood

Endocrine System: a control system of ductless glands that secrete chemical messengers called
hormones

Estrogen: hormone in females; stimulates the development of the uterus and vagina

Exocrine Glands: glands that release their cellular secretions through a duct which empties to the
outside or into the lumen (empty internal space) of an organ

Hormone: a specific chemical substance produced by certain cells that control, or help to control,
cellular processes elsewhere in an organism

Insulin: hormone that acts to lower blood sugar levels by allowing the sugar to flow into cells

Iodine: chemical in the body; Thyroid hormone can not be produced with out it

Lipid-soluble Hormones: diffuse through the cell membranes of target cells

Parathyroid: four masses of tissue, two embedded posterior in each lateral mass of the thyroid
gland

Pancreas: organ involved with the digestion system and the circulatory system; helps to maintain
blood sugar levels

Pineal Gland: small endocrine gland in the brain located near the center of the brain, between the
two hemispheres, tucked in a groove where the two rounded thalamic bodies join

Pituitary Gland: endocrine gland that is attached to the hypothalamus of the lower forebrain

Polypeptide and Proteins: hormones that are chains of amino acids of less than or more than
about 100 amino acids

Steroids: hormones that are lipids that are synthesized from cholesterol; characterized by four
interlocking carbohydrate rings

Testosterone: hormone more prominent in males; belongs to the family of androgens, which are
steroid hormones producing masculinizing effects

Thyroid Gland: endocrine gland that consists of two lateral masses that are attached to the trachea

Thyroxine: serves to stimulate oxidative metabolism in cells; increases the oxygen consumption
and heat production of most body tissues

Water-soluble Hormones: bind to a receptor protein on the plasma membrane of the cell

278 | Human Physiology