Trophic hormone

Trophic hormone is a hormone that has a growth effect, hyperplasia or hypertrophy, on the tissue it is stimulating.[1] The term trophic is from Ancient Greek τροφικός (trophikós) meaning "pertaining to food or nourishment", here used to mean "growth"; this is the same origin as atrophy. This should not be confused with tropic, as in the similar-sounding tropic hormone – the words and concepts are both unrelated.[2]

A key example of this is thyroid-stimulating hormone stimulating the thyroid; excess thyroid-stimulating hormone can create a goitre.

Trophic hormones from the anterior pituitary include:

Gastrin is a trophic hormone that causes hyperplasia of enterochromaffin cells which may transform into carcinoid tumors.

See also

References

  1. Mosby's Medical Dictionary (8th ed.). Elsevier. 2009.
  2. Steinberg, Werner (1952). "Trophic Vs. Tropic". Journal of the American Medical Association. 149: 82. doi:10.1001/jama.1952.02930180084027.


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