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In the mouse, the pituitary gland (hypophysis) is attached to the ventral surface of the brain (see Diagram of Endocrine Organs in Head – In Situ) and is heavier in females than in males; its size also differs between strains. The pituitary gland has three well-defined regions: pars distalis (anterior lobe), pars intermedia (intermediate lobe), pars nervosa (neural lobe or neurohypophysis). Pars distalis and pars intermedia are also known as adenohypophysis. They are separated from each other by the hypophyseal (residual) cleft, which is lined by low cuboidal epithelium. The pars intermedia is particularly wide in the mouse and has low vascularity. Most of the secretory cells in the pars intermedia have pale basophilic cytoplasm.
The 4X micrograph is an overview of the pituitary gland and its surroundings. The 10X micrograph exhibits the three different lobes of the pituitary gland with the hypophyseal cleft separating pars intermedia and pars distalis. The 20X and 40X micrographs show pars intermedia, pars distalis, and the hypophyseal cleft in increasing detail. In the 40X micrograph the basophils of the pars intermedia are visible.
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