Anterior Pituitary Hormones and Functions

Follicle-stimulating hormone

A follicle-stimulating hormone test measures the amount of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in a blood sample. FSH is produced by the pituitary gland. In women, FSH helps control the menstrual cycle and the production of eggs by the ovaries. The amount of FSH varies throughout a woman's menstrual cycle and is highest just before she releases an egg (ovulates). In men, FSH helps control the production of sperm. The amount of FSH in men normally remains constant.

Luteinizing hormone

Luteinizing hormone (LH, also known as lutropin and sometimes lutrophin[1]) is a hormone produced by gonadotropic cells in the anterior pituitary gland. In females, an acute rise of LH ("LH surge") triggers ovulation[2] and development of the corpus luteum. In males, where LH had also been called interstitial cell-stimulating hormone (ICSH),[3] it stimulates Leydig cell production of testosterone.[2] It acts synergistically with FSH.

Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)

ACTH is an important component of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and is often produced in response to biological stress (along with its precursor corticotropin-releasing hormone from the hypothalamus). Its principal effects are increased production and release of cortisol by the cortex of the adrenal gland. ACTH is also related to the circadian rhythm in many organisms.[2]

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone

GnRH is a hormone produced in the hypothalamus region of the brain. GnRH moves through the bloodstream to the pituitary gland. There, it binds to certain receptors. Those receptors signal the pituitary gland to create two more hormones: LH and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH).

Thyrotropin-releasing hormone

Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), also called thyrotropin-releasing factor (TRF) or thyroliberin, is a releasing hormone, produced by the hypothalamus, that stimulates the release of thyrotropin (thyroid-stimulating hormone or TSH) and prolactin from the anterior pituitary.

Melanocyte-stimulating hormone

The melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH) is the body's peptide hormone that regulates the function of skin pigment cells (melanocytes) [1]. MSH also affects other types of cells [2, 3] and different synthetic forms have been made from it [4] that are analogic to the body's MSH.

Prolactin

Prolactin (PRL), also known as luteotropic hormone or luteotropin, is a protein that is best known for its role in enabling mammals, usually females, to produce milk. It is influential in over 300 separate processes in various vertebrates, including humans.[5] Prolactin is secreted from the pituitary gland in response to eating, mating, estrogen treatment, ovulation and nursing. Prolactin is secreted in pulses in between these events. Prolactin plays an essential role in metabolism, regulation of the immune system and pancreatic development. (Action in males is unknown)