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PITUITARY
GLAND
PREPARED BY: DR SHARIFULAH
HAMDARD

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 OBJECTIVES
At the end of the lecture you will be able to:
• Know about hypothalamus gland and it’s function.
• Know about pituitary gland embryology and parts
of it.
• Know about anterior and posterior pituitary gland
hormones and their regulations.
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 INTRODUCTION
• The pituitary gland(hypophysis) is a small gland
located in sella turcica at the base of brain
connected to the hypothalamus via the pituitary
stalk.
• It has two main parts
1. Anterior pituitary (adenohypophysis)
2. Posterior pituitary (neurohypophysis)
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 EMBRYOLOGY
• Embryonically the anterior pituitary originate
from rathkes pouch while the posterior pituitary
comes from neural tissue of hypothalamus.

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 HORMONES OF ANTERIOR
PITUITARY GLAND
• The anterior pituitary gland secrets 6 major
hormones including growth hormone(GH),
adrenocorticotropic hormone(ACTH), thyroid
stimulating hormone(TSH), follical stimulating
hormone(FSH), leutinizing hormone(LH) and
prolactin.
• The posterior pituitary hormone release antidiuretic
hormone(ADH) and oxytocin.
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 CELLS OF ANTERIOR
PITUITARY GLAND
• The anterior pituitary gland contains 5 main types
of cells each responsible for synthesizing and
secreting specific hormones:
 Somatotrophs: GH (makes 30-40% of gland)
 Corticotropes: ACTH (makes 20% of gland)
 Thyrotropes: TSH
 Gonadotropes: FSH & LH
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 Lactrotropes: PROLACTIN
 HORMONES OF POSTERIOR
PITUITARY GLAND
• Posterior pituitary hormones are synthesized in
the hypothalamus not in the pituitary gland itself
and then transported by nerve fibers to posterior
pituitary gland.
• Supraoptic nucleus: ADH (vasopressin)
• Paraventricular nucleus: OXYTOCIN
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 PITUITARY HORMONES
CONTROL
• Pituitary secretions is controlled by hormonal and
nervous signals from the hypothalamus.
• Posterior pituitary is controlled by nerve signals that
originate in the hypothalamus and terminated in the
posterior pituitary gland.
• Anterior pituitary gland is controlled by hormones called
hypothalamic releasing and hypothalamic inhibitory
hormones, transported via the hypothalamic-
hypophyseal portal system. 14
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 BLOOD SUPPLY
• The anterior pituitary gland is highly vascularized
gland with extensive capillary sinuses among
glandular cells.
• Blood entering these sinuses first flow through a
capillary bed in lower hypothalamus before
moving into anterior pituitary via hypothalamic-
hypophyseal portal vessel.
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 HYPOTHALMIC CONTROL OF
PITUITARY GLAND
• Hypothalamic releasing and inhibitory hormones
regulate the secretions of anterior pituitary
hormones.
• Releasing hormones are important for most
pituitary hormones while inhibitory hormones has
a strong effect on prolactin secretion.
• Thyrotropin-releasing hormone(TRH): stimulate
TSH release 18

• Corticotropin-releasing hormone(CRH): stimulate

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 GROWTH HORMONE
• All major anterior pituitary hormones mainly act by
stimulating target gland and the functions of these
hormones are related to that special gland except for
growth hormone.
• GH, also called somatotropic hormone or somatotropin.
• Causes growth of all body tissues capable of growing.
• Promote increased size of the cell and increased
mitosis(number).
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 GROWTH HORMONE
EFFECTS
• GH has multiple specific metabolic effects:
 Increase protein synthesis.
 Enhance mobilization of fatty acids from adipose
tissue, raising free fatty acid in the blood and
increased their use for energy.
 Reduces carbohydrates(glucose) utilization in the
body
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 INCREASE PROTEIN
SYNTHESIS
• Growth hormone promote protein deposition in tissues by:
1) Increased amino acid transport through cell membrane.
2) Increased nuclear transcription of DNA to form RNA.
3) Increased RNA translation to cause protein synthesis by
ribosomes.
4) Decreased catabolism of protein and amino acids.

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 INCREASED FAT UTILIZATION
FOR ENERGY
• GH promote the release of fatty acids from adipose
tissue, increasing their concentration in body fluids.
• Increase the conversion of Fatty acids to acetyl CoA
for energy, prioritizing fat utilization over
carbohydrates and proteins.
• This effect combined with GH protein anabolic effect
increase lean body mass.
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GROWTH HORMONE DECREASES
CARBOHYDRATE UTILIZATION
• Growth hormone decrease carbohydrates metabolism by:
i. Decrease glucose uptake in skeletal muscle and fat cells.
ii. Increase glucose production in liver.
iii. Increased insulin secretion.
• All of these actions leads increased glucose levels in the
blood and compensatory increase in insulin secretion.
• Thus GH effects are called Diabetogenic
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GROWTH HORMONE STIMULATES
CARTILAGE AND BONE GROWTH
i. Increased deposition of protein by the
chondrocytic and osteogenic cells.
ii. Increased rate of reproduction of these cells.
iii. Conversion of chondrocytes into osteogenic cells
causing deposition of new bone.

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 BONE GROWTH
• There are 2 mechanism for bone growth:
i. Epiphyseal growth
ii. Osteoblast and osteoclast mediated bone
remodelling

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 REFERENCES…
• BOARD REVIEW SERIES (BRS) PHYSIOLOGY 7TH edition
by Linda S. Costanzo
• GUYTON & HALL PHYSIOLOGY 14TH edition by John E.
Hall
• IMAGES downloaded from www.google.com/search

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