Pituitary Gland

SANNY C. BABERA
Ph. D. Student

Pituitary Gland

Nomenclature
Pituitary
Greek
ptuo (to spit)

Latin
Pituita (mucus)

Mucus was produced

by the brain and was
excreted through the
nose by the pituitary

 Pituitary
Master gland
Most of the pituitary
hormones control
other endocrine glands
called hypophysis
Hypo under
Physis - growth

- Found in the ventral to the brain in the

dorsal concavity of the sphenoid bone called
sella turcica or hypophyseal fossa.
- Pituitary stalk or infundibulum rises
dorsally from the pituitary to connect with
the hypothalamus.
Hypothalamus forms the floor of the third
ventricle of the brain-site of hypothalamic
releasing hormone.

Pituitary Anatomy
Gross
Sits in sella turcica
Surrounded by dura
Sphenoid
Lateral and inferior

Lateral
Cavernous sinus
Internal carotid artery
CN III, IV, VI,
V1 and V2

Anatomical subdivision of the Pituitary gland

a. Adenohypophysis
b. Neurohypophysis

Adenohypophysis has 3 parts

1. Pars distalis largest part
2. Pars tuberalis
3. Pars intermedia

Pars distalis
- contains five population of cells :
1. Thyrotropes
2. Gonadotropes
3. Lactotropes
4. Corticotropes
which secrete the tropic hormones

Tropic hormones regulate function of other

endocrine glands and somatotropes
(regulate other nonendocrine organs and
tissues.
Tropic hormones thyrotropin or thyroidstimulating hormone (TSH), luteinizing
hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone
(FSH), prolactin, adrenocorticotropin
(ACTH), and growth hormone (GH) or
somatotropin (STH).

Pars tuberalis
Upward extension of the adenohypophysis
attached to the infundibulum.

Pars intermedia
Forms the junction between pars distalis
and pars nervosa.
- Source of melanocyte-stimulating
hormone (MSH). Important to amphibians
for pigment regulation.

Neurohypophysis
Consists of 2 parts
1. Infundibulum or pituitary stalk
2. Pars nervosa (posterior or neural lobe)
Hormones released oxytocin, arginine
vasopressin, lysine vasopressin and
arginine vasotocin

Pituitary
Portal System
Hypophyseal arteries
From carotid
Superior hypophyseal
artery
80-90% to adenophysis

Inferior hypophyseal
artery
Posterior pituitary

Posterior lobe
Rich nerve supply
Unmyelinated nerves

Pituitary Development

Evagination of the stromodeal ectoderm from buccal cavity

Infundibulum, neural stalk and posterior lobe from diencephalon
Development 3rd to the 15th week gestation

- Adenohypophysis rises from an

evagination of the ectodermal roof of the
oropharynx Ex. Mouth cavity, commonly
called Rathkes pouch.
Rathkes pouch enlarges quickly, flattens
against the infundibular extension from the
brain.

-Rathkes pouch thicken and become pars

distalis
-Back wall remains thin and becomes pars
intermedia forms from the
craniopharyngeal duct near the point that
fuses with the pars nervosa
The embryonic development results in a
total neurologic connection of the
neurohypophysis with the hypothalamus.
- Less innervation to the adenohypophysis

Pituitary Anatomy
Gross
Symmetrical bean
shaped
Brownish red

13 mm transverse
9 mm AP
6 mm height
Adult
0.4-0.9 grams
Larger in women
Larger in multiparous
women
During pregnancy
increases to 0.9-1 grams

Pituitary Anatomy
Microscopic
Anterior lobe
80% of gland
Brown color

Posterior lobe
Gray/brown color

Pituitary Anatomy
Microscopic
Anterior lobe 3 divisions
Pars distalis
Largest
Hormone producing cells

Pars intermedia
Poorly defined in the human

Pars tuberalis
Upward extension to the
anterior lobe and attached
to pituitary stalk

Posterior lobe
Pars nervosa

Pituitary Gland
Microscopic
Pars distalis
Pink acidophils
Growth hormone
Prolactin

Dark purple basophils

Corticotropin (ACTH)
Thyroid stimulating
hormone (TSH)
Follicle stimulating
hormone (FSH)
Luteinizing hormone
(LH)

Hypophysectomy
- surgical removal of hypophysis
- Treat tumor
- Craniopharyngioma
- Treat cushings syndrome (due to
pituitary adenoma)

Complications
- causes atrophy of the thyroid and
adrenal glands as well as asthenia and cachexia
.
- before sexual maturity, the reproductive tract
remains undeveloped and non-functional.
- general lack of growth
- after sexual maturity, there will be a loss of
reproductive function along with atrophy of
gonads and accessory reproductive structures

Hypothalamic control of Pituitary

Gland Function
Hypothalamic hypophysiotropic substance
that stimulate pituitary function originally
were called releasing factors.
After the initial designation of corticotropinreleasing factor (CRF). Releasing factors
are considered hormones secreted for
hemocrine communication.

All hypophysiotropic hormone except

dopamine (prolactin release- inhibiting
hormone) are peptides.
Synthetic stimulatory hypophysiotropic hormones are:
thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH), gonadotropin
releasing hormone (GnRH), corticotropin-releasing
hormone (CRH), and growth hormone releasing
hormone(GHRH).
Cells in supraoptic and paraventricular hypothalamic nuclei
secrete vasopressin and oxytocin hormones.

Hormones Of The Anterior Pituitary

6 main hormones
secreted by the
adenohypophysis:
Growth hormone
Somatotropin
Thyroid-stimulating
hormone
Thyrotropin
Adrenocorticotropic
hormone
Corticotropin
Prolactin
Follicle-stimulating
hormone
Luteinizing hormone

Anterior pituitary
Hypothalamic Pituitary Target Hormone
product
product organ product
CRH

ACTH
Adrenal Cortisol
cortex

TRH

TSH

GHRH (+)
SRIH (-)

GH

PRIH
(dopamine)

PRL

GnRH

LH, Gonad
FSH

(LHRH)

Thyroid T4, T3
Liver; IGF-I (systemic)
Tissues IGF-I (local)
Breast

[Lactation]

Sex hormones

Hormone

Structure

Amino acids/Source

Polypeptide/proteins
ACTH Polypeptide
39 Corticotroph
GH
Protein
191 Somatotroph
PRL Protein
199 Lactotroph
Glycoproteins
TSH Alpha* / TSH-beta 110
LH
Alpha / LH-beta 115
FSH Alpha / FSH-beta 115
[hCG Alpha / beta-hCG]
* 92 amino acids

Thyrotroph
Gonadotroph
Gonadotroph

147

[Placenta]

Pituitary protein hormone

Adrenocorticotropin
ACTH secretion is regulated by
hypothalamic CRH and AVP. Arginine
vasopressin is a weak regulator of ACTH.
ACTH regulates CRH secretions via short
loop feedback to the hypothalamus.
Corticotropin releasing hormone stimulates
the release of ACTH in a pulsatile manner.

Cortisol increases by many internal and

external factor stress, stimuli increase ACTH
and cortisol prenatal and postnatal domestic
animals.
This include hypoxemia, hypotension,
hypoglycemia, ambient temperature,
surgery, trauma, and pain.

Prolactin
Prolactin is produced by a widely dispersed
pituitary gland cells (lactotropes or
mammotropes) named because of the
hormones indispensable role in lactation.
Plays a major role in many reproductive and
nonreproductive events.
Prolactin is called luteolytic hormone (LTH).
It stimulates the development of receptors
for LH on Leydig cells.

Prolactin
is
synthesize,
processed,
packaged, stored and released by
lactotropes.
Dopamine, TRH and VIP affect both
synthesis and release of prolactin.
Receptors for three substances are
membrane-bound and the receptor ligand
interaction is mediated intracellulary by the
second messengers-CAMP.

Growth hormone
- Regulated by hypopthalamic growth
hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) and
growth hormone release inhibiting factor
(GHRIF) or somatostatin (SRIF).
- Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) tissue
growth and organ development.
- Insulin like growth factor 2 (IGF-2)
mediator of growth hormone. Secreted by
cells of the central nervous system
involve in fetal tissue development.

Protein metabolism is influenced markedly

by growth hormone. Growth hormone
stimulates protein synthesis by gene
activation and mRNA, ribosomal RNA, and
transfer RNA production by liver cells.
Prolonged administration of growth hormone
induce permanent hyperglycemia, therefore
growth hormone is diabetogenic.

Pituitary glycoprotein hormone

TSH, LH, FSH are chemically closely
related.
Thyrotropin or thyroid stimulating hormone
(TSH) stimulation of the thyroid gland.
Primary regulator of TSH secretion is
feedback by T3 on the pituitary gland to
inhibit TRH synthesis. Conversion of T4 to
T3 via a special enzymatic system within the
pituitary gland plays a major role in
regulation of TSH secretion.

Gonadotropins
Secretion is regulated by gonadal steroids
(estrogen, androgens, progesterone and at
least on peptide ie. Inhibin interacting with
hypothalamic GnRH secretion.
-Inhibin is glycoprotein with two polypeptide
subunits synthesized by sertoli cells of the
testis, granulosa cells of the ovary, placenta,
pituitary gonadotropes and brain

-Inhibin feeds back negatively on the

hypothalamus and pituitary gland to
specifically reduce secretion of FSH.

Hormone of the
neurohypophysis
Arginine vasopressin and oxytocin
Secreted from the cells of the hypothalamic
nuclei. Released in the capillary blood in
the pars nervosa.
AVP antidiuretic hormone, released into
the primary hypophyseal portal capillary
complex and thus reaches the anterior
pituitary gland.

Cell bodies of the neurons producing AVP

and oxytocin are located in the
paraventricular and suproptic nuclei at the
base of the hypothalamus.

Pituitary - like hormone of the

placenta
1905 Halban suggest that the placenta
had an endocrine function.
Placental hormones are structurally and
functionally similar to hormones produced
by the pituitary gland and hypothalamus.

Placental lactogen
Protein hormone lactogenic properties
Gonadotropins chorionic (placenta) are
used commonly in veterinary medicine to
duplicate the biological effects of LH and
FSH- human chorionic gonadotropins (hCG)
Mimics the effects of LH and FSH.

Females
- promotes maturation of ovarian
follicles
- ovulation and formation of corpora
lutea
Males
-stimulate the production of
testosterone

HYPOTHALAMUS

(-)

HYPOTHALAMICPITUITARY
PORTAL SYSTEM
GnRH

(-)

(LHRH)

(+)
ANTERIOR
PITUITARY

POSTERIOR
PITUITARY

LH, FSH
GONAD
SEX HORMONES, INHIBIN

Posterior pituitary
Hypothalamic
source (cell body) Target

Effect

ADH

H2O retention

Collecting
duct
Oxytocin

Breast
Milk let down
Uterus
Smooth muscle
Contraction

References

Heidi Chamberlain Shea, MD

Endocrine Associates of Dallas
Mc Donalds Veterinary Endocrinology and Reproduction
5th Edition
Hudson's Guide: Hormones and the Body:
A Brief Overview
www.ftmguide.org600 216Search by
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