Epinephrine

Norepinephrine

Adrenal gland. (Medulla labeled at bottom right.)

Chromaffin cells are neuroendocrine cells found in the medulla of the adrenal gland and in other ganglia of the sympathetic nervous system. They are derived from the embryonic neural crest. Image File history File links Adrenaline. ... Image File history File links Adrenaline. ... Adrenaline redirects here. ... Image File history File links Norepinephrine_structure. ... Image File history File links Norepinephrine_structure. ... Norepinephrine (INN) or noradrenaline (BAN) is a catecholamine and a phenethylamine with chemical formula C8H11NO3. ... Image File history File links Gray1185. ... Image File history File links Gray1185. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... In mammals, the adrenal glands are the triangle-shaped endocrine glands that sit atop the kidneys. ... In mammals, the adrenal gland (also known as suprarenal glands) are the triangle-shaped endocrine glands that sit atop the kidneys; their name indicates that position (ad, near or at + renes, kidneys). They are chiefly responsible for regulating the stress response through the synthesis of corticosteroids and catecholamines, including cortisol... Template:Game Autonomic nervous system innervation, showing the sympathetic and parasympathetic (craniosacral) systems, in red and blue, respectively Autonomic ganglia are clusters of neuronal cell bodies and their dendrites and are essentially a junction between autonomic nerves originating from the central nervous system and autonomic nerves innervating their target organs... Grays FIG. 838– The right sympathetic chain and its connections with the thoracic, abdominal, and pelvic plexuses. ... It has been suggested that embryology be merged into this article or section. ... The neural crest, a component of the ectoderm, is one of several ridgelike clusters of cells found on either side of the neural tube in vertebrate embryos. ...

Function

Chromaffin cells of the adrenal medulla are innervated by the splanchnic nerve and secrete adrenaline, noradrenaline, and enkephalin into the bloodstream. As such, they play an important role in the fight-or-flight response. They are also referred to as granules and this is where the enzyme dopamine-hydroxylase catalyzes the conversion of dopamine to norepinephrine. The splanchnic nerves, which are part of the autonomic nervous system, enervate the pelvic and genital organs, regulating the emptying of the urinary bladder and the rectum as well as sexual functions like erection and orgasm. ... Epinephrine (INN) or adrenaline (BAN) is a hormone and a neurotransmitter. ... Norepinephrine, known as noradrenaline outside the USA, is a catecholamine and a phenethylamine with chemical formula C8H11NO3. ... Endorphins are endogenous opioid biochemical compounds. ... Human blood smear: a - erythrocytes; b - neutrophil; c - eosinophil; d - lymphocyte. ... The fight-or-flight response, also called the acute stress response, was first described by Walter Cannon in 1929. ...

Nomenclature

These cells are so-named because they can be visualized by staining with chromium salts. Chromaffin salts oxidize and polymerize catecholamines to form a brown color, most strongly in the cells secreting noradrenaline. Drawing of the structure of cork as it appeared under the microscope to Robert Hooke from Micrographia which is the origin of the word cell. Cells in culture, stained for keratin (red) and DNA (green). ... A stain is a discoloration that distinguishes itself from the material on which it is found. ... General Name, Symbol, Number chromium, Cr, 24 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 6, 4, d Appearance silvery metallic Atomic mass 51. ... A magnified crystal of a salt (halite/sodium chloride) Salt covering the floor of Bad Water in Death Valley, CA, the lowest point in the US. A salt, in chemistry, is any ionic compound composed of cations (positively charged ions) and anions (negative ions) so that the product is neutral... Catecholamines are chemical compounds derived from the amino acid tyrosine that act as hormones or neurotransmitters. ...

(The enterochromaffin cells cells are named because of their histological similarity to chromaffin cells, but their function is quite different.) Serotonin Enterochromaffin (EC) cells (Kulchitsky cells) are a type of enteroendocrine cell[1] occuring in the epithelia lining the lumen of the gastrointestinal tract. ...

External links

• Histology at BU 14507loa - "Endocrine System: adrenal gland, reticularis and medulla"
• Secretion Control in Adrenal Chromaffin Cells
• UC-San Diego Chromaffin Cell and Hypertension Research
• A Primer on Chromaffin Cells