Video Transcript
Which of the following are two
hormones secreted by the pituitary gland? (A) Growth hormone and
thyroid-stimulating hormone, (B) calcitonin and insulin, (C) growth hormone and
insulin, or (D) thyroid-stimulating hormone and thyroxine.
Hormones are chemical messengers
that are produced in endocrine glands and secreted into the bloodstream. Once in the blood, they can travel
around the body to cause an effect on specific target cells. These effects include responses
that regulate bodily functions to adapt to changes in the internal and external
environment to maintain the normal functioning of the body. Let’s take a look at some specific
endocrine glands within the human body to work out which of the hormones are
secreted by the pituitary gland.
The pancreas is an endocrine gland
that secretes a hormone called insulin. Insulin is involved in regulating
blood glucose levels. As we know that this hormone is not
secreted by the pituitary gland but by the pancreas, we can eliminate options (B)
and (C). The thyroid gland is a
butterfly-shaped endocrine gland located at the front base of the neck. The thyroid gland secretes a
hormone called thyroxine, which is involved in energy metabolism. It also secretes a hormone called
calcitonin, which is involved in regulating the level of calcium in our blood. As we know that thyroid gland and
not the pituitary gland secretes thyroxine, we can also eliminate option (D).
The pituitary gland is a pea-sized
endocrine gland located just under the brain. It secretes a number of different
hormones, some of which can control other endocrine glands. For this reason, the pituitary
gland is sometimes called the master gland. One such hormone is
thyroid-stimulating hormone, sometimes called TSH, which stimulates the thyroid
gland to release the thyroid hormones. The pituitary gland also releases a
hormone called growth hormone that plays a role in the growth of tissues. Therefore, we’ve worked out that
growth hormone and thyroid-stimulating hormone are two hormones that the pituitary
gland can secrete.
