So you might be wondering on how was he why he got his noble prize . He got it for n the mechanism of action of hormones, particularly epinephrine. Sutherland influenced by Carl Cori. Who worked on the pathways of glycogen breakdown and glucose synthesis in mammalian liver cells. Sutherland is responsible for discovering how the hormone epinephrine regulates glycogen synthesis Along the way, Sutherland discovered the second messenger cyclic AMP which was Monday's Molecule #39. So what does this exactly mean? it means its known for its as adrenalin, epinephrine is a naturally occurring hormone. During the fight-or-flight response, the adrenal gland releases epinephrine into the blood stream, along with other hormones like cortisol, signaling the heart to pump harder, increasing blood pressure, opening airways in the lungs, narrowing blood vessels in the skin and intestine to increase blood flow to major muscle groups, and performing other functions to enable the body to fight or run when encountering a perceived threat. What excaly is a perceived threat? A perceived threat makes an important distinction as in the case of chronic stress, the body's stress response is repeatedly triggered on a daily basis in response to actual physical and psychological threats as well as perceived psychological threats. As a result, the body can become exhausted, and the overabundance of epinephrine and cortisol, as well as other aspects of the body's stress response can become maladaptive, resulting in lowered immunity and other health problems. Another important thing to remember about epinephrine and the body's stress response is that it can be triggered in response to negative stress as well as excitement or eustress. While eustress, or 'positive stress' can help maintain vitality, it's still important to maintain balance in how much your stress response is triggered, and to avoid too much total stress.