What are the characteristics of endocrine signaling?

Signals from cells that further away in the body are known as endocrine signals. Endocrine cells are found within endocrine glands such as the pituitary, thyroid, and hypothalamus. These signals typically generate a slow yet prolonged response compared to other types of signaling. Ligands released during endocrine signaling are known as hormones. They originate in one part of the body, but eventually function to affect a distant part of the body. Hormones move fairly slowly throughout the body since they travel through the bloodstream. Thus, they get diluted and exist in low concentrations once they reach their target cells. This differs from paracrine signaling, in which concentrations of ligands are comparatively higher.