A hormone-like substance produced and acting locally within body tissues, rather than circulating through the bloodstream like hormones.
From Greek autos (self) + akos (remedy) + -oid (resembling). Biochemists coined this term in the early 20th century to describe local chemical messengers.
Autacoids are your body's neighborhood pharmacies—histamine, prostaglandins, and serotonin work locally in tissues without traveling everywhere, making them more precise than broadcast hormones.
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