Britannica
Sources used in this answer
How do autocrine signals allow endocrine cells to regulate themselves?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
human endocrine system
The principal glands of the female and male human endocrine systems.
In the context of the human endocrine system, autocrine signaling is a process where a cell secretes a hormone or chemical signal that acts directly upon the same cell that produced it.12
By binding to surface receptors on the cell of origin, these signals allow endocrine cells to regulate their own activity locally. Unlike endocrine signaling, which involves hormones traveling through the bloodstream to reach distant target organs, autocrine signaling functions in the immediate vicinity of the secreting cell. Because these signals act locally, they are typically present at high concentrations, allowing for rapid and direct self-regulation of cellular functions, such as growth and metabolic activity.132