Over the course of our lifetimes, our bodies undergo a series of extraordinary metamorphoses: we grow, experience puberty, and many of us reproduce. Behind the scenes, the endocrine system works constantly to orchestrate these changes. Alongside growth and sexual maturity, this system regulates everything from your sleep to the rhythm of your beating heart, exerting its influence over each and every one of your cells.
Tokom našeg životnog veka, naša tela prolaze kroz niz neverovatnih promena: rastemo, prolazimo kroz pubertet, i mnogi se razmnožavaju. Iza scene, endokrini sistem neprestano diriguje ovim promenama. Pored rasta i seksualne zrelosti, ovaj sistem reguliše sve, od spavanja do ritma otkucaja srca, utičući tako na sve i jednu ćeliju.
The endocrine system relies on interactions between three features to do its job: glands, hormones, and trillions of cell receptors. Firstly, there are several hormone-producing glands: three in your brain, and seven in the rest of your body. Each is surrounded by a network of blood vessels, from which they extract ingredients to manufacture dozens of hormones. Those hormones are then pumped out in tiny amounts, usually into the bloodstream.
Endokrini sistem se oslanja na interakciju tri elementa kako bi obavio svoj posao: žlezda, hormona, i biliona ćelijskih receptora. Prvo, postoji više žlezda koje proizvode hormone: 3 u mozgu, i 7 u ostatku tela. Svaka je okružena mrežom krvnih sudova, odakle crpe sastojke putem kojih stvaraju desetine hormona. Ovi hormoni se onda u malim količinama ispumpavaju, obično u krvotok.
From there, each hormone needs to locate a set of target cells in order to bring about a specific change. To find its targets, it’s helped along by receptors, which are special proteins inside or on the cell’s surface. Those receptors recognise specific hormones as they waft by, and bind to them. When this happens, that hormone-receptor combination triggers a range of effects that either increase or decrease specific processes inside the cell to change the way that cell behaves.
Odatle, svaki hormon mora da locira grupu ciljanih ćelija, kako bi načinio određenu promenu. U pronalaženju svojih ciljeva pomažu mu receptori, koji su posebni proteini unutar ili na površini ćelije. Ovi receptori prepoznaju specifične hormone dok plove okolo, i vežu se za njih. Kada se ovo dogodi, ta hormon-receptor kombinacija deluje kao okidač za niz efekata koji ili povišavaju ili snižavaju određene procese unutar ćelije, da bi promenili način na koji se ta ćelija ponaša.
By exposing millions of cells at a time to hormones in carefully-regulated quantities, the endocrine system drives large-scale changes across the body.
Izlaganjem miliona ćelija blagovremeno hormonima u pažljivo regulisanim količinama, endokrini sistem predvodi masovne promene unutar tela.
Take, for instance, the thyroid and the two hormones it produces, triiodothyronine and thyroxine. These hormones travel to most of the body’s cells, where they influence how quickly those cells use energy and how rapidly they work. In turn, that regulates everything from breathing rate to heartbeat, body temperature, and digestion.
Uzmimo, na primer tiroidnu žlezdu i dva hormona koja proizvodi, triodotironin i tiroksin. Ovi hormoni putuju do većine ćelija tela, gde utiču na to kojom brzinom ćelije troše energiju i kojom brzinom rade. Povratno, to reguliše sve od brzine disanja do otkucaja srca, temperature tela, i varenja.
Hormones also have some of their most visible—and familiar—effects during puberty. In men, puberty begins when the testes start secreting testosterone. That triggers the gradual development of the sexual organs, makes facial hair sprout, and causes the voice to deepen and height to increase. In women, estrogen secreted from the ovaries signals the start of adulthood. It helps the body develop, makes the hips widen, and thickens the womb’s lining, preparing the body for menstruation or pregnancy.
Hormoni takođe prave neke od svojih najvidljivijih - i poznatih - efekata tokom puberteta. Kod muškaraca, pubertet počinje kada testisi počinju da izlučuju testosteron. To deluje kao okidač za postepeni razvoj seksualnih organa, deluje na rast brade, uzrokuje da se glas produbi i da se uveća visina. Kod žena, estrogen koji se luči iz jajnika ukazuje na početak odraslog života. Pomaže telu da se razvije, čini da se kukovi prošire, i da se materica podeblja, pripremajući telo tako za menstruaciju ili trudnoću.
An enduring misconception around the endocrine system is that there are exclusively male and female hormones. In fact, men and women have estrogen and testosterone, just in different amounts. Both hormones play a role in pregnancy, as well, alongside more than 10 other hormones that ensure the growth of the fetus, enable birth, and help the mother feed her child.
Istrajna zabluda u vezi sa endokrinim sistemom je da postoje isključivo muški i ženski hormoni. U stvari, i muškarci i žene imaju estrogen i testosteron, samo u drugačijim količinama. Oba hormona imaju ulogu u trudnoći takođe, pored više od 10 drugih hormona koji garantuju razvoj fetusa, osiguravaju rođenje, i pomažu majci da prehrani svoje dete.
Such periods of hormonal change are also associated with fluctuations in mood. That’s because hormones can influence the production of certain chemicals in the brain, like serotonin. When chemical levels shift, they may cause changes in mood, as well. But that’s not to say that hormones have unlimited power over us.
Takvi periodi hormonalnih promena se dovode u vezu sa promenama u raspoloženju. To je zato što hormoni mogu da utiču na proizvodnju određenih hemikalija u mozgu, kao što je serotonin. Kada se poremeti nivo hemikalija, može doći do promena u raspoloženju, takođe. Ali ne treba zaključiti da hormoni imaju neograničenu vlast nad nama.
They’re frequently viewed as the main drivers of our behavior, making us slaves to their effects, especially during puberty. But research shows that our behavior is collectively shaped by a variety of influences, including the brain and its neurotransmitters, our hormones, and various social factors. The primary function of the endocrine system is to regulate our bodily processes, not control us.
Oni se obično smatraju glavnim pokretačima ponašanja, praveći od nas robove pod njihovim uticajima, naročito tokom puberteta. Ali istraživanje pokazuje da je naše ponašanje kolektivno oblikovano skupinom raznih uticaja, uključujući i mozak i njegove neurotransmitere, naše hormone, i mnoge druge društvene faktore. Primarna funkcija endokrinog sistema je da reguliše naše telesne procese, ne da nas kontroliše.
Sometimes disease, stress, and even diet can disrupt that regulatory function, however, altering the quantity of hormones that glands secrete or changing the way that cells respond.
Ponekad, međutim, bolest, stres, čak i ishrana mogu da poremete te regulatorne funkcije, menjajući količinu hormona koju žlezde luče ili menjajući način na koji ćelije reaguju.
Diabetes is one of the most common hormonal disorders, occurring when the pancreas secretes too little insulin, a hormone that manages blood sugar levels. And hypo- and hyperthyroidism occur when the thyroid gland makes too little or too much thyroid hormone. When there’s too little thyroid hormone, that results in a slowed heart rate, fatigue, and depression, and when there’s too much thyroid hormone, weight loss, sleeplessness, and irritability.
Dijabetes je jedan od najčešćih hormonalnih poremećaja, i dešava se kada pankreas luči premalo insulina, hormona koji reguliše nivo šećera u krvi. I hipo- i hipertiroidizam se dešavaju kada tiroidna žlezda proizvodi premalo ili suviše tiroidnih hormona. Kada ima premalo tiroidnih hormona, to rezultira usporenim radom srca, umorom i depresijom, a kada ima suviše tiroidnih hormona, gubitkom kilograma, pospanošću, i razdražljivošću.
But most of the time, the endocrine system manages to keep our bodies in a state of balance. And through its constant regulation, it drives the changes that ultimately help us become who we are.
Ali većinu vremena, endokrini sistem uspeva da održava naša tela u ravnoteži. I putem njegove stalne regulacije, predvodi promene koje nam na kraju krajeva pomažu da postanemo ono što smo.