BCHM 102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 17: Digestive Enzyme, Heart Rate, Gluconeogenesis

• School: Queen's University
• Department: Biochemistry
• Course: BCHM 102
• Professor: Lauravan Staalduinen

Document Summary

Identify the classes of steroid hormones: understand the effects of deficiencies in enzymes involved in steroid hormone production, understand the secretion of steroid hormones and their effects on the body, describe the mechanism of action of steroid hormones. Hormones: hormones permit communication between cells and tissues present at very low concentrations in the blood (does(cid:374)"t take (cid:448)ery (cid:373)u(cid:272)h of the(cid:373) to (cid:272)arry through (cid:449)ith their effect) Control many functions in humans: metabolism, cell and tissue growth, heart rate, blood pressure, kidney function, gastrointestinal tract motility, digestive enzyme secretion. Conversion of cholesterol to steroid hormones is essential for life. 3 main classes of steroid hormones: glucocorticoids i. e. cortisol, mineralocorticoids i. e. aldosterone, sex hormones i. e. testosterone, estrogen and progesterone. Synthesized in adrenal cortex, ovaries, placenta and testes. Transported by the blood from sites of synthesis to target organs (by the blood) Synthesis of steroid hormones involves shortening the hydrocarbon chain and hydroxylation of the steroid nucleus (central ring) of cholesterol.