ENDOCRINE

SYSTEM
Endocrine System

• Along with the nervous system, the endocrine system coordinates the activities of
cells in different organs and tissues to control physiological parameters or
generate system-wide responses to environmental changes.
• Information in the endocrine system is transmitted through several small
molecules, peptides and proteins that function as hormones.
• These hormones are released by cells in one part of the body, enter the circulatory
system to distribute throughout the body and bind specific receptors in other cells.
Pituitary Gland Hypothalamus Thyroid Gland Parathyroid Pineal Gland Adrenal Gland
Gland
FUNCTION

The endocrine system secretes hormones into nearby capillaries and interacts with the
nervous system to modulate and control the body's metabolic activities.
HORMONES

• chemical messengers that are carried via the bloodstream to distant target cells.
• include low-molecular-weight water-soluble proteins, polypeptides, and amino acids
(e.g., insulin, glucagon, follicle-stimulating hormone [FSH]) and lipid-soluble
substances, principally the steroid hormones (e.g., progesterone, estradiol, and
testosterone).
PITUITARY GLAND (HYPOPHYSIS)

• resides just outside the central nervous systems and comprises two anatomical
and functional structures: anterior and posterior.
• anterior pituitary or adenohypophysis is a collection of cells that secrete
hormones to control the activities of cells in other endocrine organs. Some of
these hormones control the production of hormones in other organs while others
have direct effects on basic biological properties.
• posterior pituitary contains the axons of neurons whose cell bodies reside in the
hypothalamus which is part of the central nervous system.
ADENOHYPOPHYSIS
PARS DISTALIS
• supported by a connective
tissue capsule and
framework. It consists of
irregular cords composed
of two types of
parenchymal cells,
chromophils and
chromophobes, lying
adjacent to fenestrated
capillaries.
CHROMOPHILS

• parenchymal cells that stain intensely because of their hormone-containing

secretory granules.
• They synthesize, store, and release several hormones.
• They are regulated by specific stimulatory and inhibitory hormones produced by
neurons, referred to as neurosecretory cells, in the hypothalamus.
• These hormones are conveyed to the pars distalis via a system of portal blood vessels
originating in the median eminence
ACIDOPHILS

• bind acidic dyes and often stain orange or red. They are small cells of two subtypes:
somatotrophs and mammotrophs.
1. Somatotrophs constitute about 50% of the chromophils and produce
somatotropin (growth hormone). They are stimulated by somatotropin-releasing
hormone and are inhibited by somatostatin.
2. Mammotrophs (lactotrophs) constitute about 10% of the chromophil population,
except in multiparous women, where they may be as high as 30%. Mammotrophs
produce prolactin, which is stored in small secretory granules. They are
stimulated by prolactin-releasing hormone and thyrotropin-releasing hormone
(TRH) and are inhibited by dopamine (until re-identified that it was designated as
prolactin-inhibiting hormone)
BASOPHILS

• bind basic dyes and typically stain blue. They include three subtypes: corticotrophs,
thyrotrophs, and gonadotrophs.
1. Corticotrophs constitute about 10% of the chromophil population. They produce pro-
opiomelanocortin (POMC) whose by-products are adrenocorticotropic hormone
(ACTH), melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH), and lipotropic hormone (LTH), a
precursor of beta-endorphin. They are stimulated by corticotropin-releasing hormone.
2. Thyrotrophs constitute about 5% of the chromophil population, produce TSH, and are
stimulated by TRH.
3. Gonadotrophs constitute about 10% of the chromophil population. They produce FSH
and luteinizing hormone (LH) in both sexes, although in men, the latter is sometimes
referred to as interstitial cell-stimulating hormone. Gonadotrophs are stimulated by
gonadotropin-releasing hormone, also known as LH-releasing hormone.
CHROMOPHOBES

• are parenchymal cells that stain poorly.

• appear as small cells under the light microscope; the cells lack (or have only a few)
secretory granules and are arranged close to one another in clusters.
• sometimes resemble de granulated chromophils in the electron microscope,
suggesting that they may represent different stages in the life cycle of various
acidophil and basophil populations.
• may also represent undifferentiated cells that are capable of differentiating into
various types of chromophils.
PARS TUBERALIS
• smaller funnel-shaped region surrounding the infundibulum of the neurohypophysis.
Most of the cells of the pars tuberalis are gonadotrophs.
PARS INTERMEDIA
• thin zone of basophilic cells between the pars distalis and the pars nervosa of the
neurohypophysis, which is often invaded by basophils