Lecture 9: Histology of Endocrine Organs Flashcards
What is difference between the endocrine and nervous system?
- Nervous:
- Rapid communication
- Short lived effects
- Endocrine:
- Slower communication via release of hormones into blood and binding on receptor cells
- Longer lasting effects
What are the stimuli that control hormonal release?
- Humoral
- Neuronal
- Hormonal
What is humoral stimuli?
- Release of hormones are controlled by levels of ions and nutrients in blood/body fluids
- Ex: PTH stimulated by low Ca2+ levels
What is neuronal stimuli?
- Release of hormones stimulated by nerve signals
- Ex: Epinephrine is relased from adrenal gland signaling via sympathetic nerve fibers
What is hormonal stimuli?
- Hormones secreted into the blood by another endocrine tissue
- Ex: TSH from pituitary gland stimulates TH release in the thyroid
How are endocrine glands organized?
- Epithelioid cells are arranged as cords/follicles
- lacks free surfaces (does not open to lumen)
- Well vascularized
- Vessels have fenestrated endothelium
- Large pores help hormones travel
What are the direct targets of hypothalamic hormones?
- Anterior pituitary gland (releasing and inhibiting factors)
- Posterior pituitary gland
- ADH: kidneys and ureters
- Oxytocin
- Adrenal medulla (sympathetic innervation)
What are the indirect targets of hypothalamic hormones?
- Tropic (releasing/inhibitory hormones)
- Indirectly influences these organs via the anterior pituitary:
- Thyroid gland: TSH
- Adrenal cortex: ACTH
- Mammary gland: PRL
- Gonads: FSH/LH
- Bone: GH, MSH
What are the embryoligcal origins of the anterior and pituitary gland?
- Anterior Pituitary: Surface Ectoderm
- From Rathke’s Pouch
- Posteriot Pituitary: Neuroectoderm
- From diencephalon
What type of cells compose most of the anterior pituitary gland?
Glandular epithelial cells controlled by neurohormones released from hypothalamus
What composes most of the posterior pituitary gland?
Axons from hypothalamus and support cells
Looks like nerve tissue
Identify the various components of the pituitary gland and what they make up.
- Pars Distalis: Makes up anterior pituitary
- More basophilic
- More rough ER to make hormones
- Pars Nervosa: Makes up most of posterior pituitary
- Neural tissure
- Pars Tuberalis: surrounds infundibulum
- Cyst intermedia: remnant of lumen of Rathke’s pouch
What are some major cell types in the anterior pituitary?
Are they acidophilic or basophilic?
Acidophilic:
- Somatotropic cells
- Mammotropic cells
Basophilic:
- Thyrotropic cells
- Corticotropic cells
- Gonadotropic cells
What do somatotroph cells release?
How do they stain?
- Secrete Growth Hormone (GH) in response to GHRH
- Acidophilic (lighter)
What do mammotroph cells release?
How do they stain?
- Secrete prolactin to stimulate milk production
- Acidophilic (stain lighter)
What do corticotroph cells release?
How do they stain?
- Secrete ACTH: stimulates adrenal cortex to secrete stress related hormones and mediate metabolism
- Secrete MSH: stimualte melanocytes to produce melanin to mediate behavior, arousal, and hunger
- Basophilic (stains lighter)