What are the hormones secreted by the anterior pituitary that target non-endocrine tissues; what are these tissues? What diseases are associated with too little or too much growth hormone?
The hormones released by the anterior pituitary that target non-endocrine tissues are prolactin, which stimulates milk production in the mammary glands of the female after the birth of a baby, and growth hormone or somatotropic hormone (STH), which stimulates protein production, inhibits insulin, and stimulates the hydrolysis of fats in adipose tissues. Too little or too much STH in children causes children to become midgets or giants, respectively, where the adult has a well-proportioned but much smaller or larger body that normal. Too much STH in adults causes acromegaly in which hands, feet, and facial features become abnormally enlarged.
