Pituitary gland, also called hypophysis, ductless gland of the endocrine system that

secretes hormones directly into the bloodstream. The termhypophysis (from the
Greek for lying under) refers to the glands position on the underside of the brain.
The pituitary gland is sometimes called the master gland, because its hormones
regulate other important endocrine glandsincluding the adrenal, thyroid, and
reproductive glands (e.g., ovaries and testes)and in some cases have direct
regulatory effects in major tissues, such as those of the musculoskeletal system.
ANATOMY OF THE PITUITARY GLAND
The pituitary gland lies at the middle of the base of the skull and is housed within a
bony structure called the sella turcica, which is behind the nose and immediately
beneath the hypothalamus. The pituitary gland is attached to the hypothalamus by
a stalk composed of neuronalaxons and the so-called hypophyseal-portal veins. Its
weight in normal adult humans ranges from about 500 to 900 mg (0.02 to 0.03
ounce).
In most species the pituitary gland is divided into three lobes: the anterior lobe, the
intermediate lobe, and the posterior lobe (also called the neurohypophysis or pars
nervosa). In humans the intermediate lobe does not exist as a distinct anatomic
structure but rather remains only as cells dispersed within the anterior lobe.
Nonetheless, the anterior and posterior lobes of the pituitary are functionally,
anatomically, and embryologically distinct. Whereas the anterior pituitary contains
abundant hormone-secreting epithelial cells, the posterior pituitary is composed
largely of unmyelinated (lacking a sheath of fatty insulation) secretory neurons.
STRUCTURE
The pituitary gland, in humans, is a pea-sized gland that sits in a protective bony
enclosure called the sella turcica. It is composed of three
lobes:anterior, intermediate, and posterior. In many animals, these three lobes are
distinct. The intermediate lobe is present in many species, in particular in rodents,
mice and rats, that have been used extensively to study pituitary development and
function, but it regresses in humans at about the 15th week of gestation: it is thus
absent from the adult human pituitary gland. [3] In all animals, the fleshy,
glandular anterior pituitary is distinct from the neural composition of the posterior
pituitary, which is an extension of the ventral diencephalon or Hypothalamus
(a)Anterior
The anterior pituitary arises from an invagination of the oral ectoderm and
forms Rathke's pouch. This contrasts with the posterior pituitary, which originates
from neuroectoderm.
Endocrine cells of the anterior pituitary are controlled by regulatory hormones
released by parvocellular neurosecretory cells in the hypothalamus. The latter
release regulatory hormones into hypothalamic capillaries leading to infundibular
blood vessels, which in turn lead to a second capillary bed in the anterior pituitary.

This vascular relationship constitutes the hypothalamo-hypophyseal portal system.

Diffusing out of the second capillary bed, the hypothalamic releasing hormones then
bind to anterior pituitary endocrine cells, upregulating or downregulating their
release of hormones.
The anterior lobe of the pituitary can be divided into the pars tuberalis (pars
glandularis) and pars distalis (pars glandularis) that constitutes ~80% of the gland.
The pars intermedia (the intermediate lobe) lies between the pars distalis and the
pars tuberalis, and is rudimentary in the human, although in other species it is more
developed.[3] It develops from a depression in the dorsal wall of the pharynx (stomal
part) known as Rathke's pouch.
(b)Posterior
The posterior lobe develops as an extension of the hypothalamus.
The magnocellular neurosecretory cells of the posterior side possess cell bodies
located in the hypothalamus that project axons down the infundibulum to terminals
in the posterior pituitary. This simple arrangement differs sharply from that of the
adjacent anterior pituitary, which does not develop from the hypothalamus. The
release of pituitary hormones by both the anterior and posterior lobes is under the
control of the hypothalamus, albeit in different ways.[4]
HORMONES PRODUCED BY THE PITUITARY GLAND
The two sections of the pituitary gland produce a number of different hormones
which act on different target glands or cells.
(a)Anterior pituitary

Adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH)

Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)
Luteinising hormone (LH)
Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)
Prolactin (PRL)
Growth hormone (GH)
Melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH)
(b)Posterior pituitary

Anti-diuretic hormone (ADH)

Oxytocin

Table of pituitary hormones

Hormo
ne

Target(s)

ACTH

Adrenals

Stimulates the adrenal gland to produce a hormone called cortisol. ACTH

is also known as corticotrophin.

TSH

Thyroid

Stimulates the thyroid gland to secrete its own hormone, which is called
thyroxine. TSH is also known as thyrotrophin.

LH &
FSH

Ovaries
(women)

Controls reproductive functioning and sexual characteristics. Stimulates

the ovaries to produce oestrogen and progesterone and the testes to
produce testosterone and sperm. LH and FSH are known collectively as
gonadotrophins. LH is also referred to as interstitial cell stimulating
hormone (ICSH) in males.

Testes
(men)

Function

PRL

Breasts

Stimulates the breasts to produce milk. This hormone is secreted in large

amounts during pregnancy and breast feeding, but is present at all times
in both men and women.

GH

All cells
in the
body

Stimulates growth and repair. Research is currently being carried out to

identify the functions of GH in adult life.

MSH
ADH

Exact role in humans is unknown.

Kidneys

Oxytoci Uterus
n
Breasts

Controls the blood fluid and mineral levels in the body by affecting water
retention by the kidneys. This hormone is also known vasopressin or
argenine vasopressin (AVP).
Affects uterine contractions in pregnancy and birth and subsequent
release of breast milk.