Human Physiology: Introduction and Cell Structure

Human Physiology: Introduction

• Physiology is the scientific study of how organisms function.
• Sub-disciplines include medical, animal, plant, cell, and comparative physiology.
• Human physiology focuses on maintaining homeostasis in the human body.
• It includes the study of nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, and urinary systems.
• Medical physiology explains the chemistry and physics of basic body functions.

Cell Physiology

• A cell consists of the cell membrane, nucleus, and cytoplasm.
• The cytoplasm contains organelles and a filament network.

Structure of the Cell Membrane

• The cell membrane encloses each cell, separating the intracellular and extracellular environments.
• It maintains cell integrity and regulates material passage.
• Composed of a lipid bilayer with cholesterol molecules.
• The lipid bilayer maintains membrane fluidity across temperatures.
• Membrane proteins include integral proteins that span the membrane and act as transporters.
• Other membrane proteins have various roles.