ADRENAL GLAND

TWO GLANDS THAT SIT ON TOP OF YOUR KIDNEYS THAT ARE MADE UP OF TWO DISTINCT PARTS

TWO DISTINCT PARTS OF THE ADRENAL GLAND

• ADRENAL CORTEX- THE OUTER PART OF THE GLAND- PRODUCES HORMONES THAT ARE VITAL TO LIFE, SUCH AS CORTISOL (WHICH HELPS REGULATE METABOLISM AND HELPS YOUR BODY RESPOND TO STRESS), AND ALDOSTERONE (WHICH HELPS CONTROL BLOOD PRESSURE)

• ADRENAL MEDULLA- THE INNER PART OF THE GLAND- PRODUCES NONESSENTIAL HORMONES (THAT IS, YOU DON’T NEED THEM TO LIVE), SUCH AS ADRENALINE (WHICH HELPS YOUR BODY REACT TO STRESS)

3 CLASSIFICATIONS (ADRENAL CORTEX)

• MINERALOCORTICOIDS- ARE SECRETED BY THE OUTERMOST REGION OF THE ADRENAL CORTEX, THE PRINCIPAL MINERALOCORTICOID IS ALDOSTERONE, WHICH ACTS TO CONSERVE SODIUM IONS AND WATER IN THE BODY

• GLUCOCORTICOIDS- SECRETED BY THE MIDDLE REGION OF THE ADRENAL CORTEX, THE PRINCIPAL GLUCOCORTICOID IS CORTISOL, WHICH INCREASES BLOOD GLUCOSE LEVELS

• GONADOCORTICOIDS (SEX HORMONES)- SECRETED IN THE INNERMOST REGION. MALE HORMONE ANDROGEN, AND FEMALE HORMONE ESTROGEN

ADRENAL MEDULLA

• DEVELOPS FROM NEURAL TISSUE AND SECRETS TWO HORMONES, EPINEPHRINE AND NOREPINEPHRINE. THESE TWO HORMONES ARE SECRETED IN RESPONSE TO STIMULATION BY SYMPATHETIC NERVE, PARTICULARLY DURING STRESSFUL SITUATIONS

WHAT DETERMINES WHICH PATHWAY IS TAKEN?

• EACH STEP OF THE PATHWAY IS REGULATED BY A SPECIFIC ENZYME

• DIFFERENT ZONES OF THE ADRENAL CORTEX HAVE DIFFERENT RELATIVE ACTIVITIES OF ENZYMES, RESULTING IN DIFFERENT CHEMICAL REACTIONS TAKING PLACE

• THESE ENZYMES ARE LOCATED IN THE SMOOTH ER

ZONES OF THE ADRENAL CORTEX

• ZONA GLOMERULOSA

• ZONA FASCICULATA

• ZONA RETICULARIS

PATHWAYS CONTINUED..

• ADRENOCORTIOTROPIC HORMONE, AS ITS NAMES IMPLIES, STIMULATES THE ADRENAL CORTEX. MORE SPECIFICALLY, IT STIMULATES SECRETION OF GLUCOCORTICOIDS SUCH AS CORTISOL, AND HAS LITTLE CONTROL OVER SECRETION OF ALDOSTERONE, THE OTHER MAJOR STEROID HORMONE FROM THE ADRENAL CORTEX

RESPONSE

• SENSORY NERVE CELLS PASS THE PERCEPTION OF A THREAT, OR STRESS, FROM THE ENVIRONMENT TO THE HYPOTHALAMUS IN THE BRAIN.

• NEUROSECRETORY CELLS IN THE HYPOTHALAMUS TRANSMIT A SIGNAL TO THE PITUITARY GLAND INCITING

• CELLS THERE TO RELEASE A CHEMICAL MESSENGER INTO THE BLOODSTREAM. SIMULTANEOUSLY, THE HYPOTHALAMUS TRANSMITS A NERVE SIGNAL DOWN THE SPINAL CORD.

• BOTH THE CHEMICAL MESSENGER AND NERVE IMPULSE WILL TRAVEL TO THE SAME DESTINATION, THE ADRENAL GLAND.

NEGATIVE FEEDBACK

• SEEN WHEN THE OUTPUT OF A PATHWAY INHIBITS INPUTS TO THE PATHWAY.

• THE HEATING SYSTEM IN YOUR HOME IS A SIMPLE NEGATIVE FEEDBACK CIRCUIT.

• WHEN THE FURNACE PRODUCES ENOUGH HEAT TO ELEVATE TEMPERATURE ABOVE THE SET POINT OF THE THERMOSTAT, THE THERMOSTAT IS TRIGGERED AND SHUTS OFF THE FURNACE (HEAT IS FEEDING BACK NEGATIVELY ON THE SOURCE OF HEAT).

• WHEN TEMPERATURE DROPS BACK BELOW THE SET POINT, NEGATIVE FEEDBACK IS GONE, AND THE FURNACE COMES BACK ON

SYMPTOMS

CUSHING’S SYNDROME

• •UPPER BODY OBESITY, ROUND FACE AND NECK, AND THINNING ARMS AND LEGS

• •SKIN PROBLEMS, SUCH AS ACNE OR REDDISH-BLUE STREAKS ON THE ABDOMEN OR UNDERARM AREA

• •HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

• •MUSCLE AND BONE WEAKNESS

• •MOODINESS, IRRITABILITY, OR DEPRESSION

• •HIGH BLOOD SUGARS

• •SLOW GROWTH RATES IN CHILDREN

CONGENITAL HYPERPLASIA

•DEHYDRATION

•LOW BLOOD PRESSURE

•LOW BLOOD SUGAR LEVEL

•TROUBLE KEEPING ENOUGH SALT IN THE BODY

•ALTERED DEVELOPMENT OF THE EXTERNAL GENITALIA IN GIRLS, WHICH IS NOTED AT BIRTH AND MAY REQUIRE SURGERY TO CORRECT

•SHORTER THAN AVERAGE FINAL HEIGHT

•EARLY SIGNS OF PUBERTY

•IRREGULAR PERIODS AND POSSIBLE TROUBLE GETTING PREGNANT (IN WOMEN)

•EXCESS FACIAL HAIR (IN WOMEN)

•BENIGN TESTICULAR TUMORS AND INFERTILITY (IN MEN)

ADDISON’S DISEASE

•WEIGHT LOSS

•WEAKNESS

•EXTREME FATIGUE

•NAUSEA AND/OR VOMITING

•LOW BLOOD PRESSURE

•PATCHES OF DARKER SKIN

•CRAVING FOR SALT

•DIZZINESS UPON STANDING

•DEPRESSION

DISEASES

• ADDISON’S DISEASE – A RARE DISORDER THAT DEVELOPS WHEN THE ADRENAL CORTEX FAILS TO PRODUCE ENOUGH CORTISOL AND ALDOSTERONE.

• ADRENAL CANCER – A VERY RARE BUT AGGRESSIVE CANCER. MALIGNANT ADRENAL TUMORS ARE RARELY CONFINED TO THE ADRENAL GLANDS. THEY TEND TO SPREAD TO OTHER ORGANS AND CAUSE ADVERSE CHANGES WITHIN THE BODY.

• CUSHING’S SYNDROME – UNCOMMON CONDITION THAT IS ESSENTIALLY THE OPPOSITE OF ADDISON’S DISEASE. IT IS CAUSE BY OVERPRODUCTION OF THE HORMONE CORTISOL. A TUMOR IN THE ADRENAL GLAND OR PITUITARY GLAND COULD BE AT FAULT

• CONGENITAL ADRENAL HYPERPLASIA – GENETIC DISORDER IS CHARACTERIZED BY LOW LEVELS OF CORTISOL. IT’S COMMON FOR PEOPLE WITH CONGENITAL ADRENAL HYPERPLASIA TO HAVE ADDITIONAL HORMONE PROBLEMS SUCH AS LOW LEVELS OF ALDOSTERONE.

CAUSES OF ADRENAL GLAND DISORDERS

• GENETIC MUTATION

• TUMORS INCLUDING PHEOCHROMOCYTOMAS

• INFECTIONS

• A PROBLEM IN ANOTHER GLAND, SUCH AS THE PITUITARY, WHICH HELPS TO REGULATE THE ADRENAL GLAND

• CERTAIN MEDICINES

TREATMENT

• TREATMENT DEPENDS ONE WHICH PROBLEM YOU HAVE

• SURGERY OR MEDICINES CAN TREAT MANY ADRENAL GLAND DISORDERS

CITATIONS• BOWEN, R. (1998, SEPTEMBER 20). ADRENOCORTICOTROPIC HORMONE. RETRIEVED FROM COLOSTATE:

HTTP://ARBL.CVMBS.COLOSTATE.EDU/HBOOKS/PATHPHYS/ENDOCRINE/HYPOPIT/ACTH.HTML

• BOWEN, R. A. (2001, NOVEMBER 23). CONTROL OF ENDOCRINE ACTIVITY. RETRIEVED FROM COLOSTATE: HTTP://ARBL.CVMBS.COLOSTATE.EDU/HBOOKS/PATHPHYS/ENDOCRINE/BASICS/CONTROL.HTML

• DEVELOPMENT, N. I. (2014, SEPTEMBER 24). ADRENAL GLAND DISORDERS. RETRIEVED FROM MEDLINEPLUS: HTTP://WWW.NLM.NIH.GOV/MEDLINEPLUS/ADRENALGLANDDISORDERS.HTML

• N.A. (2013, SEPTEMBER 30). WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF ADRENAL GLAND DISORDERS. RETRIEVED FROM US DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: HTTPS://WWW.NICHD.NIH.GOV/HEALTH/TOPICS/ADRENALGLAND/CONDITIONINFO/PAGES/SYMPTOMS.ASPX

• SARGIS, R. M. (2015, APRIL 8). AN OVERVIEW OF THE ADRENAL GLANDS. RETRIEVED FROM ENDOCRINEWEB: HTTP://WWW.ENDOCRINEWEB.COM/ENDOCRINOLOGY/OVERVIEW-ADRENAL-GLANDS

• U. S. NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH. (2015, APRIL 16). ADRENAL GLAND. RETRIEVED FROM NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE: HTTP://TRAINING.SEER.CANCER.GOV/ANATOMY/ENDOCRINE/GLANDS/ADRENAL.HTML

• UTAH, U. O. (2015, APRIL 16). HOW CELLS COMMUNICATE DURING FIGHT OR FLIGHT. RETRIEVED FROM LEARN GENETICS: HTTP://LEARN.GENETICS.UTAH.EDU/CONTENT/CELLS/FIGHT_FLIGHT/