THYROID GLAND, PARAHYROID GLANDS, AND RELATED STRUCTURES

THYROID GLANDS:
1. LATERAL LOBES - The two large lateral lobes that comprise the bulk of the
gland lie on either side of the trachea and are connected by a thin isthmus.

2. ISTHMUS - Connects together the lower thirds of the lobes; it measures about
1.25 cm. in breadth, and the same in depth, and usually covers the second and
third rings of the trachea.

3. THYROID FOLLICLES - Are the structural and functional units of a thyroid

gland. These are spherical, and the wall is made up of a large number of cuboidal
cells, the follicular cells.

4. FOLLICULAR CELLS - Responsible for the production and secretion of the

thyroid hormones thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3).

5. THYROID COLLOID - Thyroid follicles act as storage compartments filled with a

substance called the colloid. This colloid is thyroglobulin.

6. PARAFOLLICULAR CELLS - Scattered throughout the thyroid gland synthesize,

store, and secrete calcitonin (thyrocalcitonin). These cells are derived from neural
crest cells that fuse with the thyroid gland.

HORMONES/TARGETS

7. THYROID HORMONE(T3/T4) - Triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4). These

hormones play an important role in regulation of your weight, energy levels,
internal temperature, skin, hair, nail growth, metabolism and is an important part
of the endocrine system.

8. ALL TISSUES - term tissue is used to describe a group of cells that are similar
in structure and perform a specific function.

9. CALCITONIN - A hormone that helps control the level of calcium in your blood.
Calcitonin is made in your thyroid gland by cells called "C cells.

10. BONE TISSUE - A mineralized connective tissue that exhibits four types of
cells: osteoblasts, bone lining cells, osteocytes, and osteoclasts.

PARATHYROID GLANDS:
11. PARATHYROID GLANDS - Part of the endocrine system, which consists of a
range of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream.

12. CHIEF CELLS - Sense the amount of calcium in the blood, and release the
calcium-increasing hormone parathyroid hormone (PTH) accordingly to correct or
maintain normal blood calcium levels.

13. OXYPHIL CELLS - Oxyphil cells are observed either singly or in small groups
interspersed between chief cells.
HORMONES/TARGETS

14. PARATHYROID HORMONE (PTH) - A polypeptide, in response to low calcium

levels detected in the blood. PTH facilitates the synthesis of active vitamin D and
calcitriol (1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol) in the kidneys.

BONE TISSUE - A mineralized connective tissue that exhibits four types of cells:
osteoblasts, bone lining cells, osteocytes, and osteoclasts.

GASTROINTESTINAL TISSUE- Naturally occurring polypeptides that elicit cellular

growth, proliferation, or differentiation following binding to surface membrane
receptors.

RELATED STRUCTURES:
15. LARYNX- Part of your respiratory system. It's a hollow tube that's about 4 to 5
centimeters (cm) in length and width. It lets air pass from your throat (pharynx) to
your trachea on the way to your lungs.

16. HYOID BONE- A small U-shaped (horseshoe-shaped) solitary bone, situated in

the midline of the neck anteriorly at the base of the mandible and posteriorly at
the fourth cervical vertebra.

17. PHARYNX- a muscular tube in the middle of your neck. It helps you to breathe
and digest food. Many medical issues can affect your pharynx, from a common
cold to cancer.

18. TRACHEA- A long, U-shaped tube that connects your larynx (voice box) to
your lungs. The trachea is often called the windpipe. It's a key part of your
respiratory system.

19. ESOPHAGUS- A tubular, elongated organ of the digestive system which

connects the pharynx to the stomach. The esophagus is the organ that food
travels through to reach the stomach for further digestion.
 ADENOHYPOPHYSIS, NEUROHYPOPHYSIS, AND RELATED STRUCTURES

ADENOHYPOPHYSIS (ANTERIOIR PITUITARY)

1. PARS DISTALIS- The portion in which the majority of the hormone production
occurs. It is the distal part of the pituitary and forms the majority
adenohypophysis.

2. SECRETORY CELLS- Tall columnar cells containing secretory granules in their

cytoplasm.

3. PARS INTERMEDIA- Pars intermedia is the boundary between the anterior and
posterior lobes of the pituitary. It contains colloid-filled cysts and two types of
cells - basophils and chromophobes. The cysts are the remainder of Rathke’s
pouch.

4. HYPOPHYSEAL PORTAL CIRCULATION- The hypothalamic-hypophyseal portal

system, a vascular network that surrounds the infundibulum and connects the
anterior lobe of the pituitary with the hypothalamus, has an important role in the
regulation of the anterior pituitary hormones mediated by stimulating or inhibiting
hormones derived from the hypothalamus.

HORMONES (& TARGETS) OF ADENOHYPOPHYSIS

5. PROLACTIN (PRL)- Prolactin is a polypeptide hormone that is responsible for

lactation, breast development, and hundreds of other actions needed to maintain
homeostasis.

6. MAMMARY GLANDS- A highly evolved and specialized organ present in pairs,

one on each side of the anterior chest wall. The organ's primary function is to
secrete milk.

7. FOLLICLE STIMULATING HORMONE (FSH)- Produced by the pituitary gland in

the brain. It is an important hormone for normal functioning of the reproductive
system in men and women.

8. TESTIS- Part of the anatomy of men and people assigned male at birth (AMAB).
Generally, you'll have two testicles. These body parts make sperm and hormones.

9. OVARY- The ovaries are small, oval-shaped glands located on either side of
your uterus. They produce and store your eggs (also called ovum) and make
hormones that control your menstrual cycle and pregnancy.

10. ESTROGENS- Estrogens are a group of hormones that play an important role
in the normal sexual and reproductive development in women. They are also sex
hormones.
11. LUTEINIZING HORMONE (LH)- Luteinizing hormone (LH) is a glycoprotein
hormone that is co-secreted along with follicle-stimulating hormone by the
gonadotrophin cells in the adenohypophysis (anterior pituitary).
12. TESTOSTERONE- Testosterone is the primary male hormone responsible for
regulating sex differentiation, producing male sex characteristics,
spermatogenesis, and fertility.

13. PROGESTERONE- Progesterone is an endogenous steroid hormone that is

commonly produced by the adrenal cortex as well as the gonads, which consist of
the ovaries and the testes.

14. THYROID STIMULATING HORMONE (TSH)- TSH tells your thyroid how much
thyroid hormone it needs to make. If the thyroid hormone levels in your blood are
too low.

15. THYROID GLAND- A small, butterfly-shaped gland located at the front of your
neck under your skin. It's a part of your endocrine system and controls many of
your body's important functions by producing and releasing (secreting) certain
hormones.

16. THYROID HORMONE (TH)- Thyroid hormone is the hormone that controls your
body's metabolism, the process in which your body transforms the food you eat
into energy.

17. GROWTH HORMONE (GH)- Human growth hormone (HGH) is a natural

hormone your pituitary gland releases that promotes growth in children, helps
maintain normal body structure in adults and plays a role in metabolism in both
children and adults.

18. SKELETAL SYSTEM- The skeletal system is your body's central framework. It
consists of bones and connective tissue, including cartilage, tendons, and
ligaments.

19. ADRENOCORTICO- TROPIC HORMONE (ACTH)- Stimulate your adrenal glands

to release cortisol. Cortisol is an essential hormone that affects almost every
organ and tissue in your body.

20. ADRENAL CORTEX- The adrenal cortex is the outer region and also the largest
part of an adrenal gland. It is divided into three separate zones: zona glomerulosa,
zona fasciculata and zona reticularis.

21. ADRENOCORTICAL HORMONES- Adrenocortical hormones are considered

steroid hormones because of the shared characteristic of a cholesterol backbone.

NEUROHYPOPHYSIS (POSTERIOR PITUITARY)

22. NEUROHYPOPHYSIS (POSTERIOR PITUITARY)- The posterior pituitary (or

neurohypophysis) is the posterior lobe of the pituitary gland which is part of the
endocrine system. The posterior pituitary is not glandular as is the anterior
pituitary. Instead, it is largely a collection of axonal projections from the
hypothalamus that terminate behind the anterior pituitary.
23. HYPOPHYSEAL CIRCULATION- The hypothalamic–hypophysial portal system
is the conduit that connects the brain to the anterior pituitary.

HORMONES & TARGETS OF THE NEUROHYPOPHYSIS:

24. ANTIDIURETIC HORMONE (ADH)- (ADH) or arginine vasopressin (AVP) is a

nonapeptide synthesized in the hypothalamus.

25. KIDNEYS- The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs, each about the size of a
fist. They are located just below the rib cage, one on each side of your spine.

26. OXYTOCIN- Oxytocin is a natural hormone that manages key aspects of the
female and male reproductive systems, including labor and delivery and lactation,
as well as aspects of human behavior.

MAMMARY GLANDS- A highly evolved and specialized organ present in pairs, one
on each side of the anterior chest wall.

RELATED STRUCTURES:
27. INFUNDIBULUM- The infundibulum catches and channels the released eggs; it
is the wide distal (outermost) portion of each fallopian tube.

28. HYPOTHALAMUS- a structure deep in your brain, acts as your body's smart
control coordinating center. Its main function is to keep your body in a stable
state called homeostasis.

29. NUCLEUS- The membrane-enclosed organelle within a cell that contains the
chromosomes.

30. SUPRAOPTIC NUCLEUS- A collection of magnocellular neurosecretory cells

(MNCs) located within the anterior hypothalamus that participate in the HPA axis.

31. HYPOTHALAMIC NEURONS- Neurons that react strongly to steroids and

glucocorticoids.

32. RELEASING/ INHIBITING HORMONES- Hormones whose main purpose is to

control the release of other hormones, either by stimulating or inhibiting their
release.