Anterior pituitary
= Anterior pituitary
The <anterior pituitary> is the glandular part of the <pituitary gland>, containing <biological cells> that synthesize and release <hormones>. Signals from the <hypothalamus> reach it through the <hypophyseal portal system>: <blood> passes through one network of <capillaries>, carries releasing or inhibiting <hormones> down connecting <blood vessels>, and enters a second network beside the hormone-secreting <biological cells>. This provides a direct chemical route for control by the <brain>.<Anatomy and Physiology 2e by J. Gordon Betts and others>[§17.3, Anterior Pituitary and Figure 17.9]{ref}
Its products include <growth hormone>, <prolactin> and <thyroid-stimulating hormone>. For example, <prolactin> promotes milk production, whereas <oxytocin> released by the <posterior pituitary> promotes milk ejection. Making milk and moving it outward are distinct controlled processes. Similarly, <thyroid-stimulating hormone> stimulates release of <thyroid hormones>, which participate in <negative feedback> on the control pathway. The <anterior pituitary> therefore both produces <hormones> and relays upstream signals; it is not simply a storage site for hormones made in the <hypothalamus>.<Anatomy and Physiology 2e by J. Gordon Betts and others>[§17.3, Table 17.3, Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone and Prolactin]{ref}