Posterior Pituitary (/Pars nervosa)

• Does not produce any hormones

The hormones are not made in the Posterior Pituitary. Hormones are actually made in Supraoptic & Paraventricular nuclei (in hypothalamus) --> travels down unmyelinated axons & is stored in the Posterior Pituitary

The hormones are:

• Oxytocin (in Paraventricular)
• ADH (in Supraoptic Nuclei)

(Stored in herring bodies, which are storage cells, in the Hypothalamus)

Have Neural glial cells (AKA, Pituicytes, CT cells)
ADH is stored within neural glial cells and then released to capillary network


Pars Intermedia

• Melatonin Releasing Hormone
• Pituitary develops from Posterior part of pharynx (remnant left over = "Rothcke's Pouch")

Anterior Pituitary (Pars Distalis)

• Chromophobes
• Cells with no color (because probably already released hormone)
• Chromophils
• Acetophils
• Similar to eosinophils (favor pink dye), thus cells look red
• Basophils
• Blue cells

Follicular cells make:
Thyroglobulin (/colloid cells)

• will be reabsorbed & converted to T3 or T4 cells to get into bloog

Parafollicular cells ("clear cells," not the same as C-cells/chief cells in Parathyroid)

• make Calcitonin
• Decrease osteoclast activity, thus decrease blood Calcium levels

Parathyroid Gland

• found posterior to Thyroid
• Made of Principle & Oxophil cells
• The principle cells make Parathyroid hormone, which balances out Calcitonin via increasing blood Calcium levels, which stimulates osteoclast to reabsorb more bone