Question

Steroid hormones have a longer half-life than peptide hormones because __________. (a) they ride on carrier proteins in the blood answers a and b are correct. (b) they can be stored temporarily in fat tissue (c) they are broken down by target cells more slowly (d) they are excreted by the kidneys more slowly answers a, b, and c are correct.

Answer 1

The answers are A, B, & C. Steroid hormones have a longer half-life than peptide hormones because steroid hormones ride on carrier proteins in the blood.  In other words, they are bound to protein carriers that transport molecules across the membrane.  They can also be stored temporarily in the adipose tissue. And also, steroid hormones are sent to the nucleus where it regulates transcription while peptides don’t require this process. This is the reason why the effects of steroid hormones are exerted more slowly than peptides.