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Hormone Transport Proteins

Meaning

Hormone Transport Proteins are specialized plasma proteins, primarily synthesized in the liver, that bind and circulate lipophilic hormones, such as steroid and thyroid hormones, throughout the bloodstream. These proteins, which include Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin (SHBG), Corticosteroid-Binding Globulin (CBG), and albumin, serve several critical functions in endocrine physiology. They effectively solubilize hydrophobic hormones for transport in the aqueous plasma and provide a circulating reservoir, thereby prolonging the hormones’ half-life and regulating the concentration of the biologically active, unbound fraction.