Anatomy and physiology labs

Introduction to ScienceExperiment 1Microscopic Anatomy of the Endocrine System Experiment Inventory

Materials Endocrine System Slide Viewer

© eScience Labs, 2016

EXPERIMENT 1: MICROSCOPIC ANATOMY OF THE ENDOCRINE SYSTEM

In this experiment, you will observe the microscopic anatomy of the endocrine system to better understand its function.

PROCEDURE

1. Open the slide viewer to examine the low-magnification thyroid gland image. The follicles are spherical sacs filled with

colloid.

2. Next, examine the high-magnification thyroid gland image. Note that the cells lining the follicles are cuboidal epithelial

cells.

3. Record your observations in Table 2.

4. Examine the slide images of the parathyroid glands. Note that there are two cell types in this tissue. The chief cells, which

produce parathyroid hormone, are the smaller cells. Oxyphil cells, which appear during puberty, have no known function.

5. Record your observations in Table 2.

6. Examine the images of the pancreas. Find the pancreatic islets. Special stains can be used to identify alpha cells (pro-

duce glucagon) and beta cells (produce insulin) among the islet cells.

7. Record your observations in Table 2.

8. Evaluate the adrenal gland and pituitary gland images. Record your observations in Table 2, then answer the post-lab

questions.

Data SheetExperiment 1 Data Sheet Table 2: Image Observations

© eScience Labs, 2016

Image Type Image Observations

Thyroid Gland

Parathyroid Gland

Pancreas

Adrenal Gland

Pituitary Gland

Anterior Pituitary Gland