List of Hormones and their Functions

Hormones are the chemical messengers of the body.

They regulate the body’s physiology based on the signals from the brain.

They transfer the signal directly to the respective organ or system for the changes to happen.

So they are like the messengers carrying a message from the brain to the other organs.

They are produced by the secretory cells of specific glands.

These glands are of different types which synthesize and secrete the concerned hormone.

But they do not release them into the blood. Instead, the blood flows through these glands and carries them away.

So they are termed endocrine glands.

Most of the hormones are named after the gland from which they are secreted.
These are then carried by blood into target tissues, where they show their effect.

They regulate most of the body’s physiology and functions.

They bring such changes by acting at the level of genetic material or protein formation machinery of the cell.

These hormones, if deficient or in excess, can lead to hormonal disorders.

These can have a harmful effect on health and physiology.

So how many hormones are there in the human body?

Below is the comprehensive list, along with their functions.

Sl. No	Hormone	Function	Endocrine Gland secreting
1	Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH)	Stimulates the thyroid gland to synthesize T3 & T4 hormones	Hypothalamus (HYP)
2	Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH)	Stimulates cortex of adrenal gland to secrete glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids	(HYP)
3	Growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH)	Stimulates the formation of growth hormones	(HYP)
4	Growth hormone inhibitory hormone (GHIH) (somatostatin)	Inhibits the release of growth hormone, TSH, insulin	(HYP)
5	Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) or luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone.	Controls release of Follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone.	(HYP)
6	Dopamine or prolactin-inhibiting factor (PIF)	Inhibits prolactin secretion.	(HYP)
7	Growth hormone	Stimulates growth of the body	Anterior pituitary (AP)
8	Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)	Releases T3 & T4	(AP)
9	Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)	Stimulates the adrenal cortex to produce	(AP)
10	Prolactin	Stimulates milk formation	(AP)
11	Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)	Stimulates to form sperms in males and Ova in females.	(AP)
12	Luteinizing hormone (LH)	Formation of Ova in females & production of testosterone	(AP)
13	Antidiuretic hormone (ADH) (also called vasopressin)	Limit water expulsion by the kidney. It also constricts blood vessels and raises blood pressure	Posterior pituitary
14	Thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3)	Regulates body metabolism and heat	Thyroid
15	Calcitonin	Reduces blood calcium by enhancing bone deposition, decreasing intestinal absorption, and expulsion by the kidney.	Thyroid
16	Cortisol	Increases blood sugar levels and suppresses the immune system	Adrenal cortex
17	Aldosterone		Adrenal cortex
18	Norepinephrine, epinephrine		Adrenal medulla
19	Insulin (β cells)	It helps absorb glucose from the blood to tissue and is also released from the liver.	Pancreas
20	Glucagon (α cells)	It helps absorb glucose into the liver to form glycogen	Pancreas
21	Parathyroid hormone (PTH		Parathyroid
22	Testosterone	It builds muscles, gives masculine character, and also stimulates the formation of sperm.	Testes
23	Estrogens	Development of the female reproductive system.	Ovaries & Placenta
24	Progesterone	Menstruation, Aids zygote implantation, maintenance of pregnancy & sexual drive	Ovaries & Placenta
25	Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG)		Placenta
26	Human somatomammotropin		Placenta
27	Renin	It helps maintain blood volume and, thereby, the blood pressure	Kidney
28	1,25-Dihydroxycholecalciferol	Rises blood calcium levels	kidney/nephron
29	Erythropoietin	Stimulates the formation of red blood cells.	Kidney
30	Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP)	Balance of water, sodium, potassium, and fat in the body	Heart muscle
31	Gastrin	To secrete gastric juice	Stomach
32	Secretin	Water levels and water balance in the body	Small intestine/duodenum
33	Cholecystokinin (CCK)	Stimulates fat and protein digestion in the intestine.
34	Leptin	Regulates energy balance. Inhibits hunger if needed	adipose cells
35	Ghrelin	Stimulates hunger	Gastro intestine

From the above list, the ones secreted by the hypothalamus, anterior, and posterior pituitary are formed in the brain.

While the remaining hormones are formed outside the brain, they are carried on by blood to different regions once released.

The hormones reaching the corresponding regions elicit their response.

It is quite impressive to note that the ones released from the brain also regulate the secretion of other hormones.

So it indicates that their secretion is controlled by the brain and indirectly all the other hormones too.

Thus the whole body physiology seems to be under the control of the brain.

Any emotional disturbance to the brain can lead to an alteration in the secretion of these hormones. Thus we can see that during emotional changes, we experience hormonal imbalance too.