Introduction
Often times, when an individual is faced with situations that might put his life on the line, he unconsciously takes actions that get him out of danger. These actions consist of pushing the body beyond its capacity and achieving physical results that an individual cannot get in normal situations. This energy boom caused by the body is due to the effect of the hormone Epinephrine, also known as Adrenaline.
General Information
When faced with a dangerous situation, the brain sends a nervous signal down to the adrenal gland that is located on the top of the kidneys. Within this gland, is found the adrenal medulla, which is responsible for the secretion of several hormones, one of which is epinephrine. Once this hormone is secreted, it propagates and binds itself to the cell wall of different organs and triggers signal transduction pathways. Depending on the organ, the signal will have different effects. For instance, when Adrenaline binds itself to the liver, the latter transforms glycogen into glucose to provide ATP for the body, whereas, when it reaches the heart, the latter increases the heartbeat.
The art project
The art project portrays the process of secretion of epinephrine and the binding of the hormone to the cell wall. Several of Atkin’s big ideas have been incorporated to the project and which are
- Matter is made of atoms
- Molecular shape is a crucial feature in chemistry
- There are barriers to the reaction
- Entropy tends to increase
- Energy is conserved
As trivial as it seems to be, the idea that matter is made of atoms is fundamental in chemistry. My drawing represents a running Adrenaline hormone heading towards a receptor embedded within the cell wall. The running compound is presented in a way that puts in evidence the atoms and molecules that make up the hormone, as reference to the most fundamental idea in Atkins’s list. The project puts emphasis on the importance of molecular shape in chemistry. This idea has been represented through the incorporation of a gap in the phospholipid bilayer. This cavity alludes to the β-receptor to which epinephrine binds itself in order to stimulate the appropriate signal transduction pathway. To stress the significance of molecular shape, I drew the receptor in such a way that it takes on the shape of the front side of the running hormone. This shows that only epinephrine can fit in this receptor. Another concept that is relevant to molecular shape is enantiomers. The adrenal medulla produces only one enantiomer of epinephrine which is the R enantiomer. The drawing does not show explicitly the enantiomer of the hormone, yet the appropriate dashed lines and wedges are drawn as means to reveal that only one enantiomer is produced. The production of epinephrine in the body necessitates a driving force. This driving force initiates from the brain under the form of a nervous signal. I drew few barriers on the running track over which the hormone has to jump in order to reach the receptor. These physical barriers represent the nervous signal the brain has to send to trigger the synthesis of Adrenaline. Otherwise, if the brain devaluates a dangerous situation and does not send these signals, Epinephrine cannot be produced. This is the barrier that the reaction ought to overcome in order to take place. Like everything else in the universe, entropy tends to increase. This concept is shown in two different ways in the drawing. First, the idea of having the Adrenaline in a hurry and running down a course track to get to the receptor implies that the hormone had to start from a starting line, which in this case represents the initial state of the hormone. Second, the receptor itself is indicative of the chaotic state that the body is on the verge of experiencing once the hormone attaches to it, as the body is going form a calm state to a very disorganized one. Finally, ‘‘Energy is conserved’’ is explicitly represented through the words ‘‘ We’re short on time, got to settle in the receptor’’, These words refer to the need of the body to revert to its normal state. It longs to do so by the simultaneous secretion of Norepinephrine along with epinephrine. The second hormone has the inverse function of Adrenaline. For example, when Epinephrine binds to the heart to increase the heartbeat, Norepinephrine binds to another receptor that slows down the heartbeat.
References
"You & Your Hormones." Web. 7 Dec. 2014. link.
"You & Your Hormones." Web. 7 Dec. 2014. link.
"Difference Between Epinephrine and Norepinephrine." Web. 7 Dec. 2014. link.
"Epinephrine and Norepinephrine (hormone)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Web. 7 Dec. 2014. link.
"Norepinephrine Vs. Epinephrine." LIVESTRONG.COM. LIVESTRONG.COM, 24 Mar. 2011. Web. 7 Dec. 2014. link.
"Norepinephrine." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Apr. 2014. Web. 7 Dec. 2014. link.