Endocrine Glands PDF

## Binyrerne - **Location:** Upper poles of the kidneys - **Structure:** Consists of a yellow-brown cortex and a red medulla - **Cortex Function:** Produces corticosteroids which affect mineral and carbohydrate metabolism - **Medulla Function:** Produces adrenaline and noradrenaline, which regulat...

## Binyrerne - **Location:** Upper poles of the kidneys - **Structure:** Consists of a yellow-brown cortex and a red medulla - **Cortex Function:** Produces corticosteroids which affect mineral and carbohydrate metabolism - **Medulla Function:** Produces adrenaline and noradrenaline, which regulate the sympathetic nervous system and have vasoconstricting, bronchodilating and heart-stimulating effects. - **Most important hormone:** Aldosterone, which regulates sodium reabsorption in the kidneys - **Other cortex functions:** Affects carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism, provides the organism with the ability to cope with stress ## Pancreas - **Location:** Behind the stomach - **Structure:** Contains islets of Langerhans which produce hormones - **Hormones:** Insulin and glucagon - **Insulin Function:** Stimulates the majority of cells in the body to absorb glucose. Insufficient insulin leads to diabetes, where the cell membranes are not permeable to glucose and the cells rely on fat metabolism instead. This leads to an increased blood sugar level and sugar in the urine. Insulin also stimulates glycogen deposition in the liver. - **Glucagon Function:** Has the opposite effect of insulin. It leads to increased blood sugar levels, by stimulating the release of glycogen from the liver and the breakdown of fat and proteins. ## Testes and Ovaries - **Testes:** Produce testosterone, which is located in the connective tissue between the seminiferous tubules - **Ovaries:** Produce estrogens and progesterone - **Estrogens:** Responsible for follicle growth and development in the ovaries. - **Progesterone:** Produced by the corpus luteum and plays an important role in the menstrual cycle. ## Thymus - **Location:** Behind the sternum in the mediastinum superior and mediastinum anterior. May reach up into the neck. - **Structure:** Composed of two lobes - **Function:** Plays an important role in the development of the body's cellular immunity (against infections, tumors and transplants) by "educating" T-lymphocytes, which then destroy pathogens. - **Hormones:** The hormone thymosin is thought to be involved in this "education" of the T-lymphocytes. This document explains the function of various endocrine glands: binyrerne, pancreas, testes, ovaries and the thymus.