The pituitary gland (or hypophysis) is an endocrine gland about the size of a pea and weighing in humans. It is a protrusion off the bottom of the hypothalamus at the base of the brain, and rests in a small, bony cavity (sella turcica) covered by a dural fold (diaphragma sellae). The pituitary is functionally connected to the hypothalamus by the median eminence via a small tube called the infundibular stem or pituitary stalk. The anterior pituitary (adenohypophysis) is connected to the hypothalamus via the hypothalamoâÂÂhypophyseal portal vessels, which allows for quicker and more efficient communication between the hypothalamus and the pituitary.
Oxytocin and anti-diuretic hormone are not secreted in the posterior lobe, merely stored.
The pancreas is a heterocrine gland as it functions both as an endocrine and as an exocrine gland.
In 1998, skeletal muscle was identified as an endocrine organ due to its now well-established role in the secretion of myokines. The use of the term myokine to describe cytokines and other peptides produced by muscle as signalling molecules was proposed in 2003.
Signalling molecules released by adipose tissue are referred to as adipokines.