Give the full form of the abbreviation ACTH. Which gland secretes this hormone?
Topic: ACTH
Answer
ACTH stands for ADRENOCORTICOTROPIC HORMONE.
It is secreted by the ANTERIOR LOBE OF THE PITUITARY GLAND.
One mark for the expansion and one for the gland.
The name itself describes what it does: ADRENO (adrenal) + CORTICO (cortex) + TROPIC (acting on another gland). It stimulates the adrenal CORTEX to secrete its hormones, chiefly cortisol.
ACTH is a TROPIC hormone — one whose target is another endocrine gland rather than a body tissue. That is why the pituitary is called the MASTER GLAND: it controls the others through hormones of this kind.
The tropic hormones worth knowing as a family, all from the ANTERIOR pituitary: ACTH (adrenal cortex), TSH (thyroid), FSH and LH (gonads).
Spelling: ADRENOCORTICOTROPIC, written as one word.