Physiology and Pharmacology of the Endocrine System

The aim of the course is to provide an integrated view of the physiology of the endocrine system and of the pharmacological approaches for the treatment and management of endocrine diseases. In addition, this course includes the presentation and discussion of recent scientific articles concerning the physiology and pharmacology of the endocrine system with the aim of informing students about recent discoveries in this area and implementing their critical skills.

By the end of the course, students will have learned the importance of hormonal regulation as a fundamental homeostatic element of the organism and will be able to describe: 1) the main mechanisms related to the processes of hormone secretion and mechanism of action; 2) the main drugs used in the treatment of endocrine diseases. Furthermore, students will be able to implement his critical capacity in relation to the scientific literature concerning possible new physiological roles of hormones and possible new intervention strategies for the development of new drug therapies.