Railway Science (Biology – Enzymes and Hormones)

Diabetes mellitus - A condition in which the body does not produce enough of the insulin hormone, resulting in high levels of sugar in the bloodstream. Insulin is a chemical messenger that allows cells to absorb glucose, a sugar, from the blood. Oxytocin is a natural hormone that stimulates uterine contractions in childbirth and lactation after childbirth.

Amylase: A digestive enzyme predominantly secreted by the pancreas and salivary glands and found in other tissues at very small levels. Pepsin: A stomach enzyme that serves to digest proteins found in ingested food. Lipase: An enzyme that breaks down triglycerides into free fatty acids and glycerol.

Hormones are chemical messengers that affect and manage hundreds of bodily processes and produced by the specialized glands to control and regulate the activity of certain cells and organs.
Estrogen is a steroid hormone associated with the female reproductive organs. Thyroxine (secreted by the thyroid gland) plays vital roles in digestion, heart and muscle function, brain development and maintenance of bones.
Testosterone (released by testes) is the primary male hormone responsible for regulating sex differentiation and producing male sex characteristics.

Lipase: It is a type of protein made by pancreas. Lipase helps your body digest fats. Hydrolases are enzymes that catalyze the cleavage of a covalent bond using water. Catalase is an enzyme in the liver that breaks down harmful hydrogen peroxide into oxygen and water.
Cellulases are a complex group of enzymes which are secreted by a broad range of microorganisms including fungi, bacteria, and actinomycetes.

Ghrelin is a 28-amino-acid peptide predominantly secreted in the stomach and stimulates appetite and growth hormone (GH) release.
Insulin and glucagon are hormones that help regulate the levels of blood glucose in our body. Glucose comes from the food we eat and moves through our bloodstream to help fuel our body.
Insulin controls whether sugar is used as energy or stored as glycogen. Leptin reduces food intake and body weight. The hormone Resistin links obesity to diabetes.

The pituitary gland (hypophysis) is a small, pea-sized gland located at the base of the brain. It is divided into two main sections - The anterior pituitary (front lobe) and the posterior pituitary (back lobe).
The anterior lobe releases hormones - Adrenocorticotropic hormone, Prolactin,Thyroid-stimulating hormone etc. The posterior lobe releases hormones - Oxytocin, Vasopressin etc.

Adrenaline (epinephrine) - Secreted by Adrenal medulla. It is also known as the ‘fight or flight’ hormone. Serotonin - It is a naturally occurring monoamine neurotransmitter that carries signals between nerve cells throughout your body.
Estrogen - It is produced by Ovaries, plays a role in sexual and reproductive development in women. Thyroxine - It is secreted by thyroid gland, Control Body's Metabolism.

Trypsin is a digestive enzyme which breaks down proteins in the small intestine, secreted by the pancreas as trypsinogen. Lactase is an enzyme that breaks down lactose, a sugar in milk and milk products.
Helicases are enzymes that remodel nucleic acids or protein-nucleic acid complexes in an ATP-dependent manner.

Pepsin - An activated digestive enzyme found in gastric juice that cleaves proteins into smaller peptides.
Lactase: An Enzyme in the small intestine. It breaks down lactose, a sugar in milk and milk products.
Invertase: An enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis (breakdown) of sucrose
(table sugar) into fructose and glucose.
Zymase: A mixture of enzymes obtained from yeast which catalyze the breakdown of sugars in alcoholic fermentation.

Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas and plays a crucial role in regulating blood sugar levels in the human body. Its primary function is to facilitate the uptake, utilisation, and storage of glucose (sugar) from the bloodstream into cells. Insulin deficiency leads to hyperglycemia, type 1 diabetes.