Endocrine System

The endocrine system is concerned

with internal secretions
endo- -crine
What makes up the endocrine system?
(Actually quite a difficult question)

Endocrine System
Distance of Hormone Action
Autocrine
Paracrine
Endocrine

We typically leave out local hormones

The grey area occurs because
no hormone is purely local.

Endocrine System
The classic members:
Hypothalamus and Pituitary Gland
Pineal Gland
Endocrine Pancreas
Thyroid
Parathyroids
Adrenals
Gonads

Endocrine System
The classic members are useful for learning
They are important
They provide order to learning
They introduce key concepts (hormonal axis)

Remember that it is an artificial system

Organ Hormones (GI, Cardiac, Pulmonary)
Cytokines (Immune Hormones)
Orphan Endocrine Cells

Endocrine Key Concepts

Key Concept One:
For each hormone, what is the target cell
and its receptor?
Single or Multiple Target Cells
Single or Multiple Receptors

Endocrine Key Concepts

Key Concept Two:
What is the site of hormone release and
its pathway to target tissue?
Focal: Hypothalamus Pituitary
Global: Thyroid Hormone Body

Endocrine Key Concepts

Key Concept Three:
What effects do secretion, excretion, and
degradation have on hormone levels?
Steady State Disequilibrium

Endocrine Key Concepts

Key Concept Four:
What computational structures exist to control
and regulate hormonal levels?
AXIS
Other Control Structures

Endocrine Key Concepts

Axis:
A linear control structure
consisting of a series
of cells each secreting
one hormone to
stimulate the
subsequent cell.

Endocrine Key Concepts

Examples of Axes:
Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal
Hypothalamic Pituitary Thyroid
Hypothalamic Fat axis
Renin Angiotensin Aldosterone

Endocrine Key Concepts

Key Concept Five:
What other hormones act on similar targets
with similar effects?
Redundancy
Multiplicity

Endocrine Key Concepts

Key Concept Six:
How do these different hormones affect
body metabolism?
Free Body Diagram

Endocrine Key Concepts

Its important to keep these ideas in mind
when thinking about the endocrine system

Endocrine Pancreas
The majority of the pancreas
is a secretory exocrine gland
A minority of the pancreas is
an secretory endocrine gland
These collections of endocrine cells
are called the Islets of Langerhans

Endocrine Pancreas

Endocrine Pancreas
Islets contain:
Alpha Cells
Beta Cells
Delta Cells
PP Cells

- Glucagon
- Insulin
- Somatostatin
- Pancreatic Polypeptide

Epsilon Cells Ghrelin? (<0.5%)

(15-20%)
(65-80%)
(3-10%)
(< 1%)

Alpha Cells - Glucagon

Beta Cells - Insulin

Delta Cells - Somatostatin

Endocrine Pancreas

Hypothalamus
Anatomy and Microanatomy
Lives in the
Diencephalon

Inferomedial
to Thalamus

Hypothalamus
Anatomy and Microanatomy

Hypothalamus
Hypothalamic Nuclei

Hypothalamus
Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH)
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)
Growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH)
Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH)
Somatostatin
Dopamine

Pitutary Gland
Anatomy and Microanatomy
Lives in the
Skull Base
in its own
compartment
Sella Turcica

Pituitary Gland
Sella Turcica (Turkish Saddle)
Located in Sphenoid Bone

Pituitary Gland
Gross View

Posterior

Anterior

Pituitary Gland
The gland consists
of two grossly
identifiable parts
Anterior Pituitary
Posterior Pituitary

Pituitary Gland
Microscopically,
there are many
more parts
Posterior
The functional
division between
anterior and
posterior stays true.

Anterior

Pituitary Gland
Posterior Pituitary
Has Neurons

Cell Bodies are in

hypothalamus
Synapses with
Blood Vessels

Pituitary Gland
Anterior Pituitary
Has Endocrine Cells

Looks and Acts

like a Gland
Not Innervated

Pituitary Gland
The pituitary hangs off
the hypothalamus
Blood Supply is in three steps
Arterial supply arrives
at the hypothalamus
via the Circle of Willis

Pituitary Gland
Next, the venous drainage
from the Hypothalamus goes
to the Pituitary
This is called the
Portal System
Just like in the gut and liver

Pituitary Gland
After passing through the
Portal System and carrying
hypothalamic hormones to
the pituitary
The venous blood, carrying
pituitary hormones, returns
to the systemic veins

Pituitary Gland
Just like the portal system
of the gut gives the liver
first crack at gut absorbed stuff
This portal system gives the
pituitary first crack at secreted
hypothalamic hormones

Pituitary Gland

Hypothalamus and Pituitary Gland

Together, they compare and contrast the
classic endocrine and neuroendocrine systems
Neuroendocrine System:
Nerves release Neurotransmitters into blood
Endocrine System:
Hormones from one part of the body go to another

Posterior Pituitary
Cell Bodies in Hypothalamus
Supraoptic and Paraventricular Nuclei

Axons in the
Pars tuberalis
Synapse in the
Pars nervosa

Posterior Pituitary
Histologically, its not that interesting
(Looks like nerves)

Anterior Pituitary
Cell Bodies look like Glands

Anterior Pituitary
Depending on the stain
Some cells like stain:
Chromophils
Acidophils
Basophils
Neutrophils

Some cells dont:

Chromophobes

Anterior Pituitary
Why stain differently?
Each Cell
produces
one and
only one
hormone.

Different hormone
peptides have different
chemical properties

Pituitary Development
The two regions of pituitary have separate origins
Anterior = Endoderm
Posterior = Neuroectoderm

Pituitary Gland

Pituitary Gland
Anterior lobe (adenohypophysis)
GH
PRL
ACTH
TSH
FSH
LH

Growth hormone
Prolactin
Adrenocorticotropic hormone
Thyroid-stimulating hormone
Follicle-stimulating hormone
Luteinizing hormone

Pituitary Gland
Posterior lobe (neurohypophysis)
Oxytocin
Antidiuretic hormone (ADH)

Pineal Gland
Pineal gland
Early Chordates
histologically
resembles eye
Hypothesized to
regulate day-night
cycles

Pineal Gland
Located between
superior colliculi
In Humans
8 mm in size

Pineal Gland
Located inside
Meninges
Very Vascular

Pineal Gland
Secretes Melatonin

Thyroid Gland
Lives in
the Neck
Derived
from the
Branchial
Arches

Thyroid Gland
Consists of Lobes
Right and Left
Isthmus
Pyramidal

Thyroid Gland
Foramen Cecum inside the mouth
develops into a small diverticulum
This is dragged
towards the chest
during body folding

Thyroid Gland
Foramen Cecum lies medial to 1st and 2nd arches

Thyroid Gland

Branchial Arches
Foramen Cecum
becomes Thyroid
Third and Fourth Arches
become Parathyroids
Third Arch
becomes Thymus

Thyroid Gland
Pyramidal Lobe
is the remnant
Right and Left
Lobes are the
main gland

Thyroid Gland
Heavily Vascular
(Like most glands)
Arterial Supply
and Venous
Drainage from
Branchial Arches

Thyroid Gland
The gland consists
of Thyroid Follicles
Cuboidal Epithelium
Central Colloid
Supportive Stroma
Parafollicular Cells

Thyroid Gland
Thyroid Hormone
Thyroxine (T4)
Triiodothyronine (T3)

C-Cells
Calcitonin

Parathyroids
Aptly named glands that live around thyroid:

Branchial Arches
Foramen Cecum
becomes Thyroid
Third and Fourth Arches
become Parathyroids
Third Arch
becomes Thymus

Parathyroid Gland

Parathyroid

Secretes
Parathyroid
hormone (PTH)

Adrenal Glands
These are paired
suprarenal glands
Embryologically:
Cortex forms first
Gonadal Ridge

Medulla forms second

Neural Crest Origin

Adrenal Glands
Histologically,
Its quite easy
to see the
difference
between
CORTEX and
MEDULLA

Adrenal Glands

Adrenal Cortex

This should remind you of the kidney

Adrenal Medulla

Adrenal Glands
Adrenal cortex
Glucocorticoids - cortisol
Mineralocorticoids - aldosterone
Androgens (including testosterone)

Adrenal medulla
Epinephrine
Norepinephrine

Gonads

Well save these for

Reproduction Endocrinology

Orphan Endocrine Cells

APUD Cells
Amine Precursor Uptake and Decarboxylation
A
P
U
D

Generate tissue and organ levels of

Traditional Neurotransmitters

Orphan Endocrine Glands

Heart
Atrial-natriuretic peptide (ANP)

Stomach and intestines

Gastrin
Somatostatin
Secretin
Cholecystokinin (CCK)
Neuropeptide Y

Liver
Insulin-like growth factor
Angiotensinogen
Thrombopoietin

Orphan Endocrine Glands

Kidney
Renin
Erythropoietin (EPO)
Calcitriol

Skin
Calciferol (vitamin D3)

Adipose tissue
Leptin

Questions?