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Lipid Soluble Ligands

Meaning

Lipid Soluble Ligands are a class of chemical messengers, predominantly steroid hormones and thyroid hormones, characterized by their lipophilic nature, allowing them to readily diffuse across the cell membrane without the need for specific transporters. Due to this solubility, they typically bind to intracellular receptors located in the cytoplasm or nucleus of target cells, directly influencing gene transcription. Their mechanism of action is relatively slow but results in long-lasting changes in cellular function and protein synthesis. This group of messengers forms the basis for the body’s major long-term regulatory and developmental signals.