Chemical Endocrinology

Chemical Endocrinology deals with the chemical nature of naturally occurring hormones, their chemical structures, and their biological activities. Hormones discussed in this text include thyroid and parathyroid hormones, adrenal hormones, gonadal hormones, pancreatic hormones, pituitary hormones, hypothalamic-releasing hormones, and gastrointestinal hormones. Comprised of 15 chapters, this book opens with a brief description of the biological functions of the products of the endocrine glands, followed by a discussion on the use of bioassays to measure hormone concentration. Various types of bioassays for adrenocorticotropin are considered, along with hormone assay by specific ligand binding. The biochemistry of relaxin, calcitonin, hormones of the adrenal medulla, steroid hormones, hormones of the anterior pituitary, melanocyte-stimulating hormones, and other hormones is then described. The final chapter is devoted to erythropoietin, its occurrence, isolation and chemical properties. This monograph will be of interest to biochemists, endocrinologists, biologists, and physiologists, as well as to students and investigators in other fields.