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Definition

hormone

(hor'mōn‵ )

[Gr. horman, to excite, urge on]

  1. A substance originating in an organ, gland , or body part, conveyed through the blood to another body part, and chemically stimulating that part to increase or decrease functional activity or to increase or decrease secretion of another hormone.
  2. The secretion of the ductless gland s, e.g., insulin from the pancreas.

    SEE: endocrine gland .

    hormonal,

    (hor-mōn'ăl)

    adj.

adrenocortical h.

ABBR: ACH

A hormone (such as aldosterone or cortisol) secreted by the cortex of the adrenal gland . SYN: cortical hormone.

SEE: adrenal gland .

adrenocorticotropic h.

ABBR: ACTH

A hormone that is secreted by the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland and controls the development and functioning of the adrenal cortex, including its secretion of glucocorticoids and and rogens. SYN: corticotropin.

adrenomedullary h.Any of several hormones (such as epinephrine and norepinephrine) produced by the adrenal medulla.

and rogenic h.and rogen.

anterior pituitary h.Any of several hormones secreted by the anterior lobe of the pituitary, including corticotropin, follicle-stimulating hormone, gonadotropin, growth hormone, luteinizing hormone, melanocyte-stimulating hormone, prolactin, and thyrotropin.

antidiuretic h.

ABBR: ADH

A peptide hormone that plays a crucial role in limiting the amount of water excreted by the kidneys. Deficiency of ADH causes central diabetes insipidus, excess causes water retention, and hyponatremia. SYN: arginine vasopressin; vasopressin.

ADH is produced by the hypothalamus and stored in the posterior pituitary gland ; it is secreted when the osmolarity of plasma rises. Secretion of ADH increases the concentration of the urine by preventing water losses from the renal tubules. ADH also causes constriction of arterioles (raising blood pressure) and increases levels of clotting factor VIII. Synthetic ADH (vasopressin) can be administered to patients in cardiac arrest as an alternative to epinephrine.

anti-Mullerian h.A hormone made in the gonads (in females, in the ovaries; in males, in the testes) that helps the reproductive organs develop and grow. It is a glycoprotein. Normal levels of AMH are found in fertile women; supernormal levels are found in polycystic ovarian syndrome. Low or undetectable levels of AMH are indicative of contraceptive or tobacco use, or of infertility or menopause. Also known as: Mullerian-inhibiting hormone, molecular mass 140 kilo Dalton.

atrial natriuretic hormone Atrial natriuretic factor.

bioidentical natural h.Bioidentical synthetic hormone.

bioidentical synthetic h.

ABBR: BSH

A compound extracted from plants or formulated in the laboratory and used to replace or increase concentrations of hormones found in the body. The most commonly manufactured and marketed BSHs are the sex steroid hormones (estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone). SYN: bioidentical natural hormone.

calcitonin h.Calcitonin.

corpus luteum h.Progesterone.

cortical h.Adrenocortical hormone.

corticotropin-releasing h.

ABBR: CRH

A hormone that is released from the hypothalamus and acts on the anterior pituitary to increase secretion of adrenal corticotropin hormone. In response to stress, CRH causes hyperglycemia, increased oxygen consumption, increased cardiac output, and decreased sexual activity; suppresses release of growth hormone; diminishes gastrointestinal function; stimulates respiration; and causes behavioral changes. SYN: corticotropin-releasing factor.

counterregulatory h.1Any of the hormones that oppose the effects of insulin. They include glucagon, epinephrine, norepinephrine, cortisol, and growth hormone.2Any hormone that opposes the effect of another hormone.

digestive h.Any of a group of hormones produced by the stomach or small intestinal mucosa and stimulating various tissues to release enzymes, produce fluids, or affect gastrointestinal motility. They include gastrin, motilin, secretin, cholecystokinin, and vasoactive intestinal peptide.

estrogenic h.Estrogen.

follicle-stimulating h.

ABBR: FSH

A hormone that is secreted by the anterior lobe of the pituitary and stimulates maturation of the ovarian follicles in women. In men, the hormone is important in maintaining spermatogenesis.

In women who have stopped menstruating, an FSH level > 30 IU/mL is usually indicative of menopause.

SYN: follitropin.

follicle-stimulating h. releasing hormone

ABBR: FSH-RH

A hormone from the hypothalamus that regulates release of follicle-stimulating hormone.

gastric h.Gastrin.

gonadotropic h.

Variant: gonadotrophic hormone

Gonadotropin.

gonadotropin-releasing h.

ABBR: Gn-RH

The hormone produced in the hypothalamus that causes the pituitary to release luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone. SYN: luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone.

growth h.

ABBR: GH

A hormone secreted by the anterior pituitary and regulating the cell division and protein synthesis necessary for normal growth. It is composed of 191 linked amino acids. Its release from the pituitary is stimulated by gonadotrophin-releasing hormone and suppressed by somatostatin. Levels of growth hormone decrease naturally during aging. Its half life in the circulation is 14 minutes. The molecular weight of its most common form is 22 kDa.SYN: human growth hormone; somatotrophin; somatotropic hormone; somatropin; somatotropin.

growth hormone-releasing h.

ABBR: GH-RH

A hormone from the hypothalamus that stimulates the release of growth hormone. SYN: somatocrinin; somatotropin-releasing hormone.

human growth h.

ABBR: HGH

SEE: growth hormone.

human placental lactogen h.

SEE: human placental lactogen.

immunoregulatory h.A hormone that influences components of the immune system, including the number and activity of the white blood cells. Such hormones are secreted by almost all of the gland s in the body, particularly the hypothalamus and adrenal gland s.

inhibitory h.Any hormone that is secreted from one organ and diminishes the release of products from another organ.

interstitial cell-stimulating h.

ABBR: ICSH

An obsolete term for luteinizing hormone.

intestinal h.Any of several hormones produced by the mucosa of the intestine. They include cholecystokinin, motilin, secretin, and vasoactive inhibitory peptide.

lipolytic h.Any hormone (such as epinephrine, glucagon, and cortisol) that promotes release of free fatty acids from fat tissue.

luteal h.Progesterone.

luteinizing h.

ABBR: LH

A hormone produced by the anterior lobe of the pituitary, in females stimulating the development of the corpus luteum and helping in the secretion of progesterone, and in males stimulating the development of interstitial cells of the testes to produce testosterone. SYN: luteotropic hormone.

luteinizing hormone-releasing h.

ABBR: LH-RH

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone.

luteotropic h.

ABBR: LTH

Luteinizing hormone.

melanocyte-stimulating h.

ABBR: MSH

A hormone of the anterior pituitary gland that causes pigmentation of the skin in humans. SYN: intermedin.

ovarian h.A hormone produced by the ovary.

SEE: estradiol; estriol; estrogen; estrone; progesterone.

pancreatic h.Any of the hormones produced and released by the pancreas, including glucagon, insulin, and somatostatin.

SEE: glucagon; insulin.

parathyroid h.

ABBR: PTH

A hormone secreted by the parathyroid gland s that regulates blood levels of calcium and phosphorus. A deficiency results in hypoparathyroidism and hypocalcemia; in excess, it causes hyperparathyroidism and hypercalcemia. SYN: parathormone.

placental h.Any of the hormones secreted by the placenta, including estrogen, progesterone, human chorionic gonadotropin, and human placental lactogen.

posterior pituitary h.Vasopressin or oxytocin.

SEE: antidiuretic hormone.

progestational h.Progesterone.

releasing h.

ABBR: RH

Any of a group of substances secreted by the hypothalamus that control or inhibit the release of various hormones. They include thyrotropin-releasing hormone, gonadotropin-releasing hormone, dopamine, growth hormone-releasing hormone, corticotropin-releasing hormone, and somatostatin. Dopamine and somatostatin act to inhibit release of the hormones they act upon.

sex h.An and rogen or an estrogen.

somatotropic h.

ABBR: STH

Growth hormone.

somatotropin-releasing h.Growth hormone-releasing hormone.

steroid h.Any of a family of hormones derived from cholesterol. They can be chemically modified in the adrenal gland s, gonads, or synthetically to create glucocorticoids, mineralocorticoids, and rogens or sex hormones.

synthetic human growth h.A growth hormone made with recombinant DNA techniques.

testicular h.A hormone (such as testosterone and inhibin) produced by the interstitial tissue of the testis.

thymic h.Any of the hormones produced by the thymus that may help attract lymphoid stem cells to the thymus and stimulate their development into mature T lymphocytes. They include thymulin, thymopoietin, and thymosin.

thyroid h.Either of two hormones, thyroxine (T4) or triiodothyronine (T3), secreted by the follicles of the thyroid gland . They act on receptors in tissues throughout the body to increase the production of cellular proteins, the metabolic rate, and the activities of the sympathetic nervous system. Deficiency of thyroid hormone produces clinical hypothyroidism; excess causes hyperthyroidism.

thyroid-stimulating h.

ABBR: TSH

Thyrotropin.

thyrotropic h.

ABBR: TSH

Thyrotropin.

thyrotropin-releasing h.

ABBR: TRH

A hormone secreted by the hypothalamus that stimulates the anterior pituitary to release thyrotropin. It was formerly called thyroid-stimulating hormone-releasing factor.

tropic h.A hormone secreted by one gland (such as the pituitary gland ) that stimulates another gland to secrete its hormone or hormones.