Endocrine Disruption :: The Endocrine System

The internal secretion system is actually kinetic and has ties to most, if not all of the other study systems of the body. It is liable for production of horm hotshots and the mandate of them as well. These ductless glands act as chemical messengers within the body. Through some(prenominal) differing mechanisms, they ar able to trigger very peculiar(prenominal) responses in soft touch cells or organs. This is what enables the endocrinal system to guide growth, development, reproduction, and behavior, among many others as well. The hormones produced from the endocrine system come from a wide range of different places. Among those responsible for hormone production are the glands and a few organs as well. The glands that are involved are the pituitary, thyroid, thymus, parathyroid, and adrenal. The organs, which also play a decisive part, are the pancreas, gonads, kidneys, heart, and parts of the digestive tract. All these different glands or organs work together in the p roduction of certain hormones. Those produced in one location will almost always have an effect on many other areas of the body, not just the surrounding tissues. An analogy that fits very well with the study of the endocrine system is that of a message in a bottle. We can think of the body as a river, and a specific hormone may be a bottle containing a message. The organs or glands mentioned above would manufacture the bottles (hormones) that would be released into the river (blood stream). If there were no receptor sites for the hormones in the body, then they would continue to flow along the river and in all probability not make their destination. However, there are systems of receptor sites that enable specific hormones to bind in specific places. Structure also plays a major role in determining which hormones are able to bind to which receptors. When these messages in bottles reach their appointed destination, the binding into the receptor site causes a go down of reactions to occur. It is these reactions that are vital in maintaining our homeostasis. Many times the binding of the receptor site causes a direct expression of a certain gene. This is where endocrine disrupters can exert major damage. In addition to gene expression, endocrine disrupters cause havoc in many other areas of the body. What exactly are endocrine disrupting chemicals? Endocrine disrupters are chemical agents that produce reversible or irreversible effects in individuals or populations by interfering with hormone function.