Endocrine Organ Flashcards
Parenchyma
Cords/clumps of hormone-producing cells
Common feature sof endocrine organs
-
Parenchyma secretes hormones:
- Peptides
- Aa derivatives
- Steroids
- Fenestrated capillaries
- Ductless glands (unlike exocrine)
-
Stroma: reticular connective tissue
- Fibroblasts, nerves, immune cells, etc
Neuroendocrine cells
Morphology & function of a neuron, but ends on a blood vessel.
Secretes neurohormones
Hormone over production
- Increased # of cells (Graves’ disease)
- Increased hormone synthesis/release (genetic changes)
Ex) Pituitary adenoma - benign proliferation of the pituitary
Hormone udnerproduction
-
Disease or autoimmunity destroys an endocrine organ
- Ex) Tuberculosis, Hasimoto’s
-
Genetic abnormalities
- Ex) Hypogonadism
-
Abnormal hormone synthesis
- Ex) GH gene deletion
-
Abnormal secretion
- Ex) Thyroidectomy
Tumors of endocrine glands can cause…
Hormone over production
OR
Compress/destroy othe rorgans
Altered tissue responses to hormones are the result of
receptor mutations (TSH, LH, PTH, and steroid receptors)
Other than the glands, where else do you see endocrine tissue?
Digestive tract
Kidneys
Gonads
Placenta
Hypophysis (pituitary gland) divisions, tissue type, embryologic origin
-
Adenohypophysis (anterior lobe)
- glandular tissue
- ectoderm from roof of mouth
- Pars distalis, Pars tuberalis, Pars intermedia
-
Neurophypophysis (posterior lobe)
- neural secretory tissue
- ectoderm from floor of brain
- Median eminence, Infundibulum, Pars Nervosa
What do the arrows point at?
Rathke’s pouch
Which belongs to the neurohypophysis?
Pars Nervosa
Pars distalis vs Pars nervosa histological difference
Pars distalis is glandular tissue, so there are a lot of epithelial-derived cuboidal cells –> way more nuclei
What cells do you see in the hypothalamus vs the pars distalis vs the pars nervosa?
Hypothalamus - neuroendocrine cells’ cell body
Pars distalis - endocrine cells
Pars nervosa - no hormone-producing cells; just the axons of the neuroendocrine cells of the hypothalamus
What are the 4 regions of the hypothalamus?
Paraventricular nucleus
Supraoptic nucleus
Medial preoptic nucleus
Arcuate nucleus
Describe the cells of the pars distalis
-
Chromophils - secreting secretory granules of hormones into those fenestrated capillaries (pictured)
- Acidophils (pink in h&e; orange in pas-orange)
- Basophis (blue in h&e; purple in pas-orange)
- Chromophobes
- Folliculostellate cells - unknown function