REVIEW) QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
2025/2026
What regulates pituitary gland secretion? - ANSWERSanterior and posterior lobe
regulation:
- anterior: hypothalamic releasing hormones are transported through the hypophyseal
portal system and stimulate cells of anterior lobe to release hormones
- posterior: nerve impulses from the hypothalamus travel through the infundibulum, and
stimulate nerve endings in posterior lobe to release hormones
What is a hormone and how does it act? - ANSWERS- hormones are chemical
messengers that are responsible for regulation.
- They are secreted into body fluids, mainly blood.
- It has specific actions on target tissues, which are any tissue that has specific
receptors for that particular hormone.
Compare and contrast glucagon and insulin. - ANSWERSGlucagon:
- peptide hormone
- produced by alpha cells of the pancreas, that raises the concentration of glucose in the
bloodstream
- stimulates the liver to break down glycogen and convert noncarbohydrates into
glucose
- stimulates the breakdown of fats
Insulin:
- regulates/lowers glucose concentration in the bloodstream
- produced in the pancreas by the islets of Langerhans
- promotes the formation of glycogen from glucose
- inhibits conversion of noncarbohydrates into glucose
- enhances movement of glucose through adipose and muscle cell membranes,
decreasing blood glucose concentration
- promotes transport of amino acids into cells
- enhances synthesis of proteins and fats
- lack of insulin causes type 1 diabetes
Both:
, - work to keep blood glucose concentration constant, but glucagon breaks down
glycogen into glucose and insulin forms glycogen from glucose.
How are pheromones different than hormones? - ANSWERSPheromones are a ~type of
hormone~ that are released in small quantities and play a big role in physical attraction
between people
How is inhibin used in the body? - ANSWERS- One of two hormones (designated
inhibin-A and inhibin-B) is secreted by the gonads (by Sertoli cells in the male and the
granulosa cells in the female) and inhibits the production of follicle-stimulating hormone
(FSH) by the pituitary gland.
- The inhibins are also involved in the control of the production of gametes and
embryonic and fetal development. Because inhibin-A is elevated in the blood serum of
women carrying a fetus with Down Syndrome, inhibin-A is included in the maternal
serum screening tests for Down Syndrome in the second trimester of pregnancy.
Differentiate between paracrine, autocrine, endocrine, and exocrine glands. -
ANSWERSParacrine:
- secrete messenger molecules
- affect nearby cells
Autocrine:
- secrete messenger molecules
- affect cells that secrete the substances
Diabetes mellitus:
- common
- high levels of sugar in the blood
- has 2 types (type 1 and type 2):
* Type 1 occurs when the body doesn't make any insulin at all.
* Type 2 arises when the body reaches insulin resistance.
Describe steroid hormones. - ANSWERS- a steroid that acts as a hormone
- can be grouped into five groups by which they bind:
* glucocorticoids
* mineralocorticoids
* androgens
* estrogens
* progestogens
- steroids: lipids containing complex rings of carbon and hydrogen atoms
- all steroid hormones are produced from cholesterol