Final answer:
Hormones that impact bone growth and development include parathyroid hormone, calcitonin, estrogen, and testosterone. They aid in regulating calcium levels, promoting osteoblastic activity, and facilitating adolescent growth spurts.
Step-by-step explanation:
Hormones Affecting Bone Growth and Development
The hormones that affect bone growth and development include:
- Parathyroid hormone (PTH): Stimulates osteoclast proliferation and bone resorption to regulate calcium levels.
- Calcitonin: Lowers blood calcium levels by inhibiting osteoclast activity and stimulating calcium uptake by bones.
- Estrogen: Promotes osteoblastic activity and bone matrix production, crucial during the adolescent growth spurt, and also involved in the closure of epiphyseal plates.
- Testosterone: Similar to estrogen, it supports osteoblastic activity and bone matrix production and contributes to the adolescent growth spurt and epiphyseal plate closure.
Hormones not directly involved in bone growth and should not be selected include aldosterone, epinephrine, and others not mentioned previously.
Estrogen and testosterone are particularly important for the growth spurt during adolescence. They influence osteoblasts and maintain the bone matrix, promoting the conversion of the epiphyseal plate to the epiphyseal line, thus ending the bones' longitudinal growth phase. Calcitriol, the active form of vitamin D produced by the kidneys, also plays a role in bone health by enhancing calcium and phosphate absorption from the digestive tract.