[Science Form 4] The Endocrine System

• Insulin
  
  • Convert glucose to glycogen.
  
  
• Pituitary
  
  • Found at the base of the brain.
  
  
• Pancreas
  
  • When the cells that produce insulin in one's pancreas are destroyed, he/she gets diabetes.
  
  
• Testosterone
  
  • Causes the development of men's secondary sex characteristics.
  
  
• Glucagon
  
  • Break down glycogen to release glucose.
  
  
• Adrenal
  
  • This gland secretes hormones when one is scared.
  
  
• Ovary
  
  • Controls the mentrual cycle.

In animal anatomy the endocrine system is a system of glands, each of which secretes a type of hormone into the bloodstream to regulate the body.

The endocrine system is an information signal system like the nervous system.

Hormones regulate many functions of an organism, including mood, growth and development, tissue function, and metabolism.

The field of study that deals with disorders of endocrine glands is endocrinology, a branch of internal medicine.

The endocrine system is made up of a series of ductless glands that produce chemicals called hormones.

A number of glands that signal each other in sequence is usually referred to as an axis, for example, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.

Typical endocrine glands are the pituitary, thyroid, and adrenal glands. Features of endocrine glands are, in general, their ductless nature, their vascularity, and usually the presence of intracellular vacuoles or granules storing their hormones.

In contrast, exocrine glands, such as salivary glands, sweat glands, and glands within the gastrointestinal tract, tend to be much less vascular and have ducts or a hollow lumen.

In addition to the specialised endocrine organs mentioned above, many other organs that are part of other body systems, such as the kidney, liver, heart and gonads, have secondary endocrine functions.

For example the kidney secretes endocrine hormones such as erythropoietin and renin.