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Pituitary Gland Structure and Function

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Pituitary Gland Structure and Function PITUITARY GLAND STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION PROF. PREETY SINHA DEPTT. OF ZOOLOGY A. N. COLLEGE PATNA ALSO CALLED THE HYPOPHYSIS Measures about 1 centimetre in diameter and 0.5 to 1 gram in weight Lies in the Sella turcica, connected to the hypothalamus by the pituitary / hypophysial stalk. • Physiologically, divided into two distinct portions: 1. Anterior pituitary (Adenohypophysis) 2. Posterior pituitary (Neurohypophysis) • Between these is a small, relatively avascular zone called the pars intermedia • Almost absent in the human being but is much larger and much more functional in some lower animal Pituitary regulates many other endocrine glands through its hormones. Anterior pituitary consists of three parts: 1. Pars distalis 2. Pars tuberalis 3. Pars intermedia PARS DISTALIS IT HAS TWO TYPES OF CELLS, WHICH HAVE DIFFERENT STAINING PROPERTIES: 1. CHROMOPHOBE CELLS 2. CHROMOPHIL CELLS 1. Chromophobe cells 2. Chromophil cells Do not possess granules and stain Contain large number of granules and poorly. are darkly stained Form 50% of total cells in anterior Form rest of 50% of anterior pituitary. Are not secretory in nature, but are Types: 1. Basis of staining property the precursors of chromophil 2. Basis of secretory nature cells Pars distalis Chromophobes Chromophills 50% 50% Acidophils Basophils 35% 15% Somatotrophs Lactotrophs Gonadotrophs Thyrotrophs Corticotrophs GH Prolactin ICSH, LH TSH ACTH, MSH PARS TUBERALIS 1.Surrounds the infundibular stalk. 2.Consists of of chords of compressed and granular cells which add mostly cuboidal . 3.This part of pituitary is highly vascular . 4. It develops as a pair of lateral lobe like extension of the embryonic Pars distalis. PARS INTERMEDIA 1.Several layers of polygonal cells present 2. secretary granules are present 3. This layer is not so vascular 4. Melanocyte stimulating hormone (MSH) is main Secreted by cells of P. intermedia. NEUROHYPOPHYSIS .the posterior lobe of the hypophysis (pituitary gland), which stores and releases oxytocin and vasopressin produced in the hypothalamus. Bodies of the cells that secrete the posterior pituitary hormones are not located in the pituitary gland. Large neurons, called magnocellular neurons, located in the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei of the hypothalamus synthesise post pituitary hormones. Hormones are then transported in the axoplasm of the neurons Nerve fibres passing from the hypothalamus to the posterior pituitary gland carry the hormones. NEUROHYPOPHYSIS . Cells of posterior pituitary are called Pituicytes. Their main role of Pituicyte is to assist in the storage and release of neurohypophyseal hormone .Pituicytes are of various types : 1. Reticulopituicytes 2. Fibropituicyte 3. micropituicytes 4. Adenopituicytes NEUROHYPOPHYSIS Pituicytes are located in the pars nervosa of the posterior pituitary interspersed with unmyelinated axons and Herring bodies. Herring bodies or neurosecretory bodies are structures found in the posterior pituitary. They represent the terminal end of the axons from the hypothalamus, and hormones are temporarily stored in these locations HORMONES OF PITUITARY The 6 hormones of the anterior pituitary play major roles in the control of metabolic functions throughout the body: 1. Growth hormone 2. Adrenocorticotropin (corticotropin) 3. Thyroid-stimulating hormone (thyrotropin) 4. Prolactin 5. Gonadotropic hormones: follicle-stimulating hormone 6. and luteinizing hormone The two hormones secreted by the posterior pituitary play other roles. 1. Antidiuretic hormone or vasopressin 2. Oxytocin Growth hormone, also called somatotropic hormone or somatotropin, is a small protein molecule that contains 191 amino acids in a single chain and has a molecular weight of 22,005. Metabolic effect of Growth hormone 1. increased rate of protein synthesis in most cells of the body. 2. increased mobilization of fatty acids from adipose tissue, increased free fatty acids in the blood, and increased use of fatty acids for energy. 3. decreased rate of glucose utilization throughout the body. Thus, in effect, growth hormone enhances body protein, uses up fat stores, and conserves carbohydrates. ACTH controls the secretion of some of the adrenocortical hormones, which affect the metabolism of glucose, proteins and fats. ACTH is a 39 amino acid melanocortin peptide cleaved from proopiomelanocortin in the anterior lobe of the pituitary. ACTH release, is regulated by production of corticotropin releasing hormone, a hypothalamic releasing factor produced in response to a wide variety of stressors. TSH controls the rate of secretion of thyroxine and triiodothyronine by the thyroid gland, and these hormones control the rates of most intracellular chemical reactions in the body. TSH is a glycoprotein and consists of two subunits, the alpha and the beta subunit. The α (alpha) subunit (i.e., chorionic gonadotropin alpha) is nearly identical to that of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), luteinizing hormone (LH), and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). Prolactin promotes mammary gland development and milk production. • Prolactin is a peptide hormone, encoded by the PRL gene • In mammals, prolactin is associated with milk production • In fish it is thought to be related to the control of water and salt balance. FSH and LH control growth of the ovaries and testes, as well as their hormonal and reproductive activities. LH stimulates the secretion of androgen (male) hormones by specialized cells in the testes called Leydig cells. In women, FSH stimulates the synthesis of estrogens and the maturation of cells lining the spherical egg-containing structures known as Graafian follicles. ADH AND OXYTOCIN • Oxytocin and ADH (vasopressin) are polypeptides. • Each containing nine amino acids . • These two hormones are almost identical. ADH controls the rate of water excretion into the urine, thus helping to control the concentration of water in the body fluids. • ADH is formed primarily in the supraoptic nuclei Oxytocin helps express milk from the glands of the breast and possibly helps in the delivery of the baby at the end of gestation. • Oxytocin is formed primarily in the paraventricular nuclei Thank you.
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