catecholamine (kăt'əkôl`əmēn), any of several compounds occurring naturally in the body that serve as hormones hormone, secretory substance carried from one gland or organ of the body via the bloodstream to more or less specific tissues, where it exerts some influence upon the metabolism of the target tissue.
..... Click the link for more information. or as neutrotransmitters in the sympathetic nervous system nervous system, network of specialized tissue that controls actions and reactions of the body and its adjustment to the environment. Virtually all members of the animal kingdom have at least a rudimentary nervous system.
..... Click the link for more information. . The catecholamines include such compounds as epinephrine epinephrine (ĕp'ənĕf`rīn), hormone important to the body's metabolism, also known as adrenaline.
..... Click the link for more information. , or adrenaline, norepinephrine, and dopamine. They resemble one another chemically in having an aromatic portion (catechol) to which is attached an amine, or nitrogen-containing group. Epinephrine and norepinephrine, which are also hormones, are secreted by the adrenal medulla, and norepinephrine is also secreted by some nerve fibers. These substances prepare the body to meet emergencies such as cold, fatigue, and shock, and norepinephrine is probably a chemical transmitter at nerve synapses. Dopamine is an intermediate in the synthesis of epinephrine; in addition, a deficiency of dopamine in the brain is responsible for the symptoms of Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease or Parkinsonism, degenerative brain disorder first described by the English surgeon James Parkinson in 1817. When there is no known cause, the disease usually appears after age 40 and is referred to as Parkinson's disease.
..... Click the link for more information. . Medical administration of the drug L-dopa, which is presumed to be converted to dopamine in the brain, relieves the symptoms. Epinephrine is used medically to stimulate heartbeat and to treat emphysema, bronchitis, and bronchial asthma and other allergic conditions, as well as in the treatment of the eye disease glaucoma.

catecholamine

Any naturally occurring amine functioning as a neurotransmitter or hormone, including dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine. All are derived from tyrosine and have a catechol group (benzene ring with two hydroxyl groups) with an attached amine group. Neurons in the brain, in the adrenal gland, and in some sympathetic nerve fibres produce different catecholamines.

catecholamine (redirected from Catecholamine hormone)

catecholamine

catecholamine
(redirected from Catecholamine hormone)