ENDOCRINOLOGY: PITUITARY GLAND AND HORMONES PG.

327-332 / 681-683 Pituitary gland (hypophysis): made up of posterior and anterior pituitary - attached to hypothalamus by the infundibulum - posterior pituitary stores and releases hormones that are produced by the by the hypothalamus and the anterior pituitary secretes its own hormones (regulated by hormones secreted by hypothalamus and by feedback from target gland hormones) - posterior: neurohypophysis - anterior: adenohypophysis Anterior and posterior pituitary have different embryonic origins - anterior: derived from a pouch of epithelial tissue that migrates upward from the primitive oral cavity - posterior: formed as a downgrowth of the brain PITUITARY HORMONES Hormones of the anterior pituitary: 1. Growth hormone (somatotropin, GH) promotes movement of amino acids into cells and incorporation of these amino acids into proteins, promoting overall tissue and organ growth, regulates growth and development of bone, muscles, organs, etc. 2. Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH, thyrotropin)- stimulates thyroid gland to produce and secrete thyroxine 3. Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH, corticotropin)- stimulates adrenal cortex to secrete glucocorticoids , such as cortisol, stimulates steroid synthesis from adrenal cortex

4. Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH, folliculotropin)- stimulates growth of ovarian follicles in females and the production of sperm cells in testes of males 5. Luteinizing hormone (LH, luteotropin)- this hormone and FSH are called gonadotropic hormones, stimulates ovulation, and testosterone synthesis 6. Prolactin (PRL)- stimulation of milk production by the mammary glands Hormones in the posterior pituitary (stores and releases hormone, but produced in hypothalamus) 1. Antidiuretic hormone (ADH, vasopressin)- increases water retention in the kidney (less water excreted in urine) 2. Oxytocin- promotes strong smooth muscle contractions in uterus and milk letdown HYPOTHALAMIC CONTROL OF POSTERIOR PITUITARY: ADH produced by supraoptic nucleus, Oxytocin produced by paraventricular nuclei (which are endocrine glands within the hypothalamus) - hormones produced are transported along axons of the hypothalamohypophyseal tract to the posterior pituitary, where they are stored and later released (posterior pituitary more of a storage organ than a true gland) - release of ADH and oxytocin is controlled by neuroendocrine reflexes ADH- stimulated by a rise in blood osmolality, blood hypovolemia and blood hypotension, inhibited by normal blood osmolality, volume, and pressure Oxytocin- stimulated by near term pregnancy increases responsiveness of the uterus to oxytocin, parturition increases the responsiveness of the mammary glandsto oxytocin, resulting in milk letdown HYPOTHALAMIC CONTROL OF THE ANTERIOR PITUITARY:

Releasing and inhibiting hormones are produced by neurons in the hypothalamus, and transported to axon endings in the basal portion of the hypothalamus and released onto primary capillary bed - hormones transported to secondary capillary bed in anterior pituitary - vascular link between the hypothalamus and anterior pituitary is called the hypothalamo-hypophyseal portal system TRH stimulates secretion of TSH, corticotropinreleasing hormone (CRH) stimulates secretion of ACTH, gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) stimulates secretion of both gonadotropic hormones (LH and FSH) Prolactin and growth hormone regulated by prolactin-inhibiting hormone and somatostatin FEEDBACK CONTROL OF ANTERIOR PITUITARY: NEGATIVE FEEDBACK AT TWO LEVELS: 1. target gland hormones can act on the hypothalamus to inhibit the secretion of releasing hormones 2. target gland hormones can act on the anterior pituitary to inhibit its response to the releasing hormones GROWTH HORMONE (somatotropin)- secretion inhibited by somatostatin which is produced by the hypothalamus and secreted into the hypothalamohypophyseal portal system - also a growth hormone releasing hormone that stimulates growth hormone secretion - controlled by both a releasing and inhibiting hormone - growth hormone secretion is stimulated by an increase in the plasma concentration of amino acids and by a decrease in plasma glucose concentrations

The liver produces and secretes Insulin growth factor 1 (IGF 1) in response to growth hormone stimulation, and this secreted IGF 1 then functions as a hormone traveling in the blood to the target tissue -IGF 1 (somatomedin) acts as a hormone and an autocrine regulator, stimulates growth of bone, cartilage, muscles, and other organs - growth hormone causes rise in plasma fatty acid concentration and decreases rates of glycolysis in many organs and glucose utilization by the tissues (raises blood glucose concentration) EFFECTS OF GROWTH HORMONE ON BODY GROWTH 1. Gigantism- excessive secretion of growth hormone in children, grow up to 8 feet tall and maintain normal body proportions 2. Acromegaly- enlongation of the jaw and deformities in the bones of the face, hands, and feet and accompanied by the growth of soft tissues and coarsening of the skin 3. Dwarfism- inadequate secretion of growth hormone during growing years, variation of this is Laron dwarfism, genetic insensitivity to the effects of growth hormone, reduction in number of growth hormone receptors in the target cells