Hormones

The ability to maintain homeostasis and respond to stimuli is largely due to hormones secreted
within your body.

Without Hormones it would be impossible for you to grow, maintain a constant temperature
within your body, produce offspring (infertility) or even perform basics actions which are
essential for life.

Hormone- a chemical messenger produced by a cell that effects specific change in the cellular
activity of other cells which are most commonly known as target cells.

The endocrine system produces hormones that play a very important part on maintaining
homeostasis and regulating reproduction and development in the body.

Plants also produce hormones known as auxins.

Endocrinology is a branch of science concerned with hormones.

Endocrine glands do not secrete substances into ducts/ tubes, instead they secrete their
hormones directly into the surrounding extracellular space.

The major endocrine glands are the pituitary, pineal, thymus, thyroid, adrenal glands, and the
pancreas.
Men produce hormones in their testes whilst women produce them in their ovaries.

There are three types of hormones which are:

Steriods
steroids are lipids
formed from cholesterol
given off by gonads, adrenal cortex, and placenta
they are compounds with molecules containing rings of carbon and hydrogen atoms
insoluble in water (hydrophobic) ---> (instead, they are lipid-soluble)
they are bound weakly to plasma proteins in bloodstream
since cell membranes are made mostly of lipids, and steroids are lipid-soluble, they can diffuse into any
cell quite easily
Peptides
peptides are the most common hormone
they are chains of amino acids
given off by heart, liver, stomach, kidneys, pituitary, and parathyroid

Amines
given off by thyroid and adrenal medulla
formed from amino acids
Hormones regulate a variety of physiological and behavior activities such as:

-Digestion
-Metabolism
-Respiration
-Tissue function
-Sensory function
-Sleep, excretion
-Lactation
-Stress
-Growth and development
-Movement
-Reproduction
-Mood


Enzymes
Enzymes are globular proteins that act as biological catalysts.

Proteins have specific shapes depending upon which amino acid are linked together and in what
order, in enzymes the represent and ACTIVE SITE.

Enzyme and substrates together are known as the ENZYME- SUBSTRATE COMPLEX.
When substrates are brought very close together with enzymes, the energy with which they
react can be reduced.

LOCK AND KEY MODEL = enzyme (lock) and substrate (key)
Some reactions bring substrates together and make a complex product which is known as
SYNTHESIS reaction.
Other reaction bring SYNTHESIS reactions in to the active site and break down into two or more
products, this is commonly known as DEGRADATION REACTIONS.

Enzymes speed up chemical reactions
Only a few amino acids may be directly involved in the active site and maintaining the three
dimensional shape of the protein molecule with whats left of it.
The active site is often flexible
When the substrate enters the active site, the enzymes molecule shape changes, fitting better
and more closely around the substrate.
This is known as the ENDUCED FIT THEORY of enzyme action.