Alpha-adrenergic receptor

The Alpha-adrenergic receptor (pronounced: al-fa ad-ren-er-gic re-cep-tor) is a type of Adrenergic receptor that responds to the neurotransmitter norepinephrine (noradrenaline) or the hormone epinephrine (adrenaline).

Etymology

The term "Alpha-adrenergic receptor" is derived from the Greek word "alpha" (α), which is the first letter of the Greek alphabet, and "adrenergic", which refers to the action of the neurotransmitters adrenaline and noradrenaline. The term "receptor" is derived from the Latin word "receptus", meaning "received".

Types

There are two main types of Alpha-adrenergic receptors, known as Alpha-1 and Alpha-2, each with different subtypes.

Alpha-1 receptors are usually located on the postsynaptic membrane and are activated by the neurotransmitter norepinephrine. They are involved in various physiological processes such as vasoconstriction and glycogenolysis.

Alpha-2 receptors are usually located on the presynaptic membrane and are activated by the neurotransmitter norepinephrine. They are involved in various physiological processes such as inhibition of insulin release and inhibition of lipolysis.

Related Terms

External links

Medical encyclopedia article on Alpha-adrenergic receptor
Wikipedia's article - Alpha-adrenergic receptor

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Alpha-adrenergic receptor