•Small, triangular glands loosely
attached to the kidneys
•Divided into two morphologically distinct
regions
- adrenal cortex (outer)
- adrenal medulla (inner)
,
, Steroid Hormones
• Steroid hormones are produced by the gonads
and adrenal cortex.
• Steroid hormones are made from cholesterol
in the smooth endoplasmic reticulum and
mitochondria of endocrine cells.
, • Steroid hormones cannot be stored in vesicles
in the endocrine cells that produce them. As
soon as steroid hormones are produced, they
diffuse out of the endocrine cell and enter the
bloodstream.
• Steroid hormones are lipid soluble and their
receptors are located in the cytoplasm target
cell.