Anterior Pituitary Hormones

Anterior pituitary (adenohypophysis), the master endocrine gland, elaborates a number of important regulatory hormones. All of these are peptide in nature and act at extracellular receptors located on their target cells. Their secretion is controlled by the hypothalamus through releasing and release inhibitory hormones that are transported via hypothalamo-hypophyseal portal system, and is subjected to feedback inhibition by hormones of their target glands. Each anterior pituitary hormone is produced by a separate group of cells, which according to their staining characteristic are either acidophilic or basophilic.

The acidophils are either somatotropes → GH; or lactotropes → Prolactin.

The basophils are gonadotropes → FSH and LH; thyrotropes → TSH; and corticotropelipotropes → ACTH. The latter in addition to ACTH also produce two melanocyte stimulating hormones (MSHs) and two lipotropins, but these are probably not important in man.