chapter2 Lesson 2
Fours: Adrenal (Suprarenal) glands (Two temper glands)
Site : they are two glands, where each one of them is located above one of the two kidneys.
•Structure : each gland consists anatomically and physiologically of two regions, which
are :
- Outer part that is called "cortex ".
- Inner part that is called "medulla"
1- Hormones of the cortex
The cortex of adrenal gland secretes a group of hormones that are known as "steroids"
which can be divided into three groups, as follows :
1- Glucocorticoids
•Include : cortisone hormone and corticosterone hormone.
•Function : they regulate the carbohydrates (sugar- starch) metabolism in the body.
Note:
Cortisone hormone performs many functions in the human body, where it stimulates the production
of glucose from non-carbohydrate sources through analyzing the proteins and lipids, then converting
the products into glucose, as well as it has an anti-inflammatory and inhibiting effects on the immune
system.
2- Mineralocorticoids
•Include : aldosterone hormone.
•Function : it plays an important role in maintaining the minerals balance in the body,
for example, it helps in the reabsorption of salts, such as sodium and the excretion of
the excess potassium through the two kidneys.
•When secretion of aldosterone hormone increases :
- The level of sodium increases and the level of potassium decreases in hlood.
- The level of potassium increases and the level of sodium decreases in urine.
3- Sex hormones
•Although the sex hormones are secreted and produced from the testes in male and
ovaries in female, there are similar hormones that are secreted from the adrenal gland
cortex, such as the male sex hormone "testosterone" and female sex hormones
"estrogen and progesterone".
•If there is an imbalance between these hormones and the sex hormones that are
secreted from the special glands, it leads to the :
- Masculinization (Appearance of male characters) in adult females.
- Feminization (Appearance of female characters) in adult males.
- Atrophy of gonads in both sexes (in case of the occurrence of a tumor in the cortex
of the adrenal gland).
2- Hormones of the medulla
The medulla of adrenal gland secretes two hormones which are "adrenaline"
and"noradrenaline" that are known as "the emergency hormones".
Function : they are responsible for many vital activities occurring in the body, when
an individual is subjected to emergency situations (such as : fear, fight, excitation and
escape)
as they act on :
O Increasing the sugar (glucose) level in blood that results from the breakdown of
glycogen which is stored in the liver into glucose.
1- Increasing the rate and force of heart contraction.
2-Increasing the blood pressure.
And as a result of all the previous changes, the body muscles obtain the energy that is
needed for their contraction with increasing the rate of oxygen consumption (this appears
clearly during doing exercises) :
a. -The brain realizes the danger situation and the sympathetic system stimulates
the medulla of adrenal gland to secrete the two emergency hormones (adrenaline
and noradrenaline)
b. -Increase the rate and force of the heart contraction.
c. The adrenal gland medulla secretes the adrenaline andnoradrenaline hormones, as
a response to the emergency situation
d. The stored glycogen inside the liver is broken down and converted into glucose that
reaches the bloodstream
e. Blood pressure inside the blood vessels.
- The level of glucose increases in blood
Pancreas
* It is considered a mixed gland that gathers between the exocrine (with external secretion)
and endocrine (ductless) glands, as :
0 It pours its pancreatic juice (digestive enzymes) that are secreted from the pancreatic
acini (vesicular cells) through the pancreatic duct into the duodenum ( i.e. it acts as
an exocrine gland).
d^ secretes its hormones directly into the blood from specialized small glandular cells
that are called "islets of Langerhans" ( i.e. it acts as an endocrine gland).
