The pituitary gland (or hypophysis),is a gland within the brain concerned with regulating growth and regulating other ductless glands. The pituitary gland , consists of three lobes, the anterior lobe, the intermediate lobe, which in primates is present for only a short part of the life span, and the posterior lobe. It is situated at the base of the brain and has been called the master controlling gland of the body. The anterior and the posterior lobes of the pituitary secrete different hormones. The anterior lobe secretes various hormones that stimulate the function of other endocrine glands, for example, adrenocorticotropic hormone, or ACTH, which stimulates the adrenal cortex; thyroid- stimulating hormone, or thyrotropin, known as TSH; follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH), which stimulate the sex glands; and prolactin, which, with other special hormones, influences milk production of the mammary gland.
In addition, the anterior pituitary is the source of growthhormone, also called somatotropin, which promotes the development of body tissues, particularly of bone matrix and muscle, and influences carbohydrate metabolism. The anterior pituitary also secretes a hormone called melanocyte-stimulating hormone, which regulates the intensity of pigmentation in pigmented cells. In the 1970s scientists found that the anterior pituitary also produces substances called endorphins. These are peptides that act on the peripheral and central nervous systems to reduce sensitivity to pain. The hypothalamus, secretes an antidiuretic hormone named vasopressin, which is stored in the posterior lobe of the pituitary gland. The posterior lobe of the pituitary also stores another hormone secreted by the hypothalamus. This hormone, known as oxytocin, stimulates muscular contractions, especially of the uterus, and ejection of milk from lactating mammary glands. Not long ago it was found that secretion of three anterior pituitary hormones is under regulation of the hypothalamus: thyrotropin secretion is stimulated by thyrotropin-releasing factor (TRF), and luteinizing- hormone secretion by luteinizing-hormone releasing hormone (LHRH). Release of growthhormone is inhibited by somatostatin, which is also made by the pancreas. Research Pituitary gland
The thyroid is an endocrine gland near the larynx in vertebrates. It influences growth and development. The thyroid gland in human beings is a brownish-red organ having two lobes connected by an isthmus; it normally weighs about 28 g and consists of cuboidal epithelial cells arranged to form small sacs known as vesicles or follicles. The vesicles are supported by connective tissue that forms a framework for the entiregland. In the normal thyroid gland, the vesicles are usually filled with a colloid substance containing the protein thyroglobulin in combination with the two thyroid hormones thyroxine, also called tetraiodothyronine (T4), and triiodothyronine (T3). These hormones are composed of the amino acid tyrosine, containing four and three iodine atoms, respectively.
The amount of thyroglobulin secreted by the thyroid is controlled by the thyroid- stimulating hormone (TSH) of the pituitary gland. Pituitary TSH, in turn, is regulated by a substance called thyroid-stimulating hormone releasing factor (TRF), which is secreted by the hypothalamus. Thyroglobulin is especially rich in iodine. Although the thyroid gland constitutes about 0.5 percent of the total human body weight, it holds about 25 percent of the total iodine in the body, which is obtained from food and water in the diet. Iodine usually circulates in the blood as an inorganic iodide and is concentrated in the thyroid to as much as 500 times the iodide level of the blood. Research Thyroid More information about Thyroid
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