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Scanning microscopy of pituitary vascular casts
The American Journal of Anatomy
|July 1, 1976
Summary
The rabbit pituitary receives arterial blood only in the neurohypophysis, not the adenohypophysis. Researchers propose the neurohypophysis acts as a final pathway for hormones to the glandular pituitary.
Area of Science:
- Neuroendocrinology
- Vascular anatomy
- Reproductive biology
Background:
- The pituitary gland and median eminence are crucial for hormone regulation.
- Understanding their vascular supply is key to comprehending neuroendocrine function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the vascular anatomy of the rabbit pituitary-median eminence complex.
- To clarify arterial supply routes to the neurohypophysis and adenohypophysis.
Main Methods:
- Scanning electron microscopy of vascular casts.
- Examination of pituitary-median eminence complexes from seventeen adult female rabbits.
Main Results:
- A single capillary bed supplies the entire neurohypophysis.
- Arterial supply exclusively targets the neurohypophysis; no direct arterial supply to the adenohypophysis was observed.
- The median eminence features external and internal capillary plexuses, with the internal plexus draining to the adenohypophysis.
Conclusions:
- The entire neurohypophysis, not just the median eminence, functions as the final common pathway to the glandular pituitary.
- Median eminence vasculature is organized to deliver hypothalamic and posterior lobe hormones to the ventricular surface for cerebrospinal fluid transport and brain distribution.