Pituitary gland gunction

The human body contains a large number of glandsthat play a fundamental role in the normal functioning of all the metabolicprocesses in the body. There are two different types of glands in the humanbody since there are glands that have their ducts and the glands that secretethe hormones and chemicals straight into the blood. However, all the glands inthe body are necessary and they are well coordinated. It happens that thedisorder of one gland in the body leads to the occurrence of some disorderor disease of some other gland.

The pituitary gland

The pituitary gland is among the most vital glandsin the human body since it produces the hormones that control the workingof the rest of the endocrine glands, like thyroid and adrenal glands, as well asovaries in the females and testes in the males. Since it regulates the normal functioningof other glands, the pituitary gland is frequently names as themaster gland.

The pituitary gland is placed at the brain base andits work is regulated by hypothalamus. The pituitary gland is made of three sections andthere are three lobes of the pituitary gland: anterior, posterior andintermediate.

Functions of pituitary gland

The anterior section of the pituitary gland is alsomedically called adenohypophysis and it is a part of the gland that producesseveral vital hormones, such as growth hormone, prolactin andadrenocorticotropic hormone. Furthermore, this lobe of the pituitary glandmanufactures the thyroid-stimulating hormone, which encourages the thyroid gland tomanufacture its two important hormones. The anterior lobe of this gland also secretesthe follicle-stimulating hormone and the luteinizing hormone, which are very importantfor the reproductive system.The intermediate lobe of this gland has the role tosecrete melanocyte-stimulating hormone, which affects the cells of the skinthat contain black pigment.Neurohypophysis is the medical term for theposterior lobe of this gland. This section of the pituitary gland is responsiblefor the proper functioning of the gland itself and it releases the hormone calledoxytocin, which is necessary in women since it facilitates the birth of the child, as well as breastfeeding. Another hormone produced in this section of thepituitary gland is antidiuretic hormone, which regulates the water balance inthe body.

As we can see, this gland secretesthe most important hormones in the body and therefore, its health should always be maintained since the abnormal production of any of these hormones ortheir insufficiency may trigger many disorders in the body.