Concept explainers
Interpretation:
The reason for why epinephrine can act as both a neurotransmitter and a hormone without “crossover” between the two functions has to be explained.
Concept Introduction:
Hormones: Hormones are chemical messengers which are secreted by the cell in endocrine system and are transported along the blood to stimulate the target cells having the corresponding receptors.
Neurotransmitters: Neurotransmitters are chemicals that transmit messages from the nervous system to the target cell. They are the chemical messagers where the electrical signal from the nervous system is travelled from one neuron to another to reach the target cell.
Epinephrine is synthesized and secreted by the adrenal medulla and is synthesized and secreted by the adrenal medulla.
The pathway when epinephrine acts as hormone is different from the pathway when it acts as neurotransmitter where epinephrine as hormone is passed through blood stream whereas epinephrine as neurotransmitter is passed through neurons to reach the target
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Fundamentals of General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry - With Access
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