Topic 13 Word Roots
ad- above; -renal kidney (adrenal gland: an endocrine gland that sits on top of the kidney and secretes hormones that regulate the stress response; adrenal medulla: the central portion of an adrenal gland, controlled by nerve signals; secretes the fight-or-flight hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine); cortex-shell (adrenal cortex: the outer portion of an adrenal gland, controlled by ACTH from the anterior pituitary; secretes hormones called glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids); -cortico the shell; -tropic to turn or change (adrenocorticotropic hormone: a protein hormone secreted by the anterior pituitary that stimulates the adrenal cortex to secrete corticosteroids)
andro- male; -gen produce (androgens: the principal male steroid hormones, such as testosterone, which stimulate the development and maintenance of the male reproductive system and secondary sex characteristics)
-cortico the shell (corticosteroid: a steroid sex hormone secreted by the gonads that promotes the development and maintenance of the male reproductive system and male body features)
endo- within (endorphin: a pain-inhibiting hormone produced by the brain and anterior pituitary)
epi- above, over (epinephrine: an amine hormone, also called adrenaline, secreted by the adrenal medulla that prepares body organs for action)
gluco- sweet (glucagon: a peptide hormone, secreted by the islets of Langerhaus in the pancreas, that raises the level of glucose in the blood; glucocorticoid: a corticosteroid hormone secreted by the adrenal cortex that increases the blood glucose level and helps maintain the body’s response to long-term stress)
hypo- below (hypothalamus: the ventral part of the vertebrate forebrain, located below the thalamus, that functions in maintaining homeostasis, especially in coordinating the endocrine and nervous systems); glyco- sugar (hypoglycemia: an abnormally low level of glucose in the blood that results when the pancreas secretes too much insulin into the blood)
neuro- nerve (neurosecretory cell: a nerve cell that synthesizes hormones and secretes them into the blood, and also conducts nerve signals)
para- beside, near (parathyroid glands: four endocrine glands, embedded in the surface of the thyroid gland, that secrete parathyroid hormone and raise blood calcium levels)
pro-before; gest-carry (progestin: one of a family of steroid hormones produced by the mammalian ovary that prepare the uterus for pregnancy); -lact milk (prolactin: a protein hormone secreted by the anterior pituitary that stimulates milk production in mammals)
tri- three; -iodo violet (triiodothyronine: an amine hormone secreted by the thyroid gland thatstimulates metabolism in virtually all body tissues)