Secretagogue

Abstract

A secretagogue is an agent that promotes the secretion of hormones, neurohormones, chemical neurotransmitters, enzymes, or other molecules synthesized and secreted by cells. The selectivity or specificity of a secretagogue is determined by the structure of the secretagogue and that of its receptors on or within the cell. Secretagogues may be endogenous biological agents natural to the animal, exogenous compounds obtained from plants, or artificially synthesized pharmacological agents. Emphasis here is placed on the secretagogues involved in the hormonal response to stress and the way in which the hormonal stress response systems have provided powerful models for our understanding of stimulus..