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peptide hormone

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Also known as peptide hormones

hormone that is also a peptide

~4 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Illustration showing the binding of a peptide hormone to a cell receptor

Peptide hormones are hormones composed of peptide molecules. These hormones influence the endocrine system of animals, including humans. Most hormones are classified as either amino-acid-based hormones (amines, peptides, or proteins) or steroid hormones. Amino-acid-based hormones are water-soluble and act on target cells via second messenger systems, whereas steroid hormones, being lipid-soluble, diffuse through plasma membranes to interact directly with intracellular receptors in the cell nucleus.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “peptide hormone” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.