Parathyroid gland

 

The parathyroid gland are four or five small glands located at the back of the neck, behind the thyroid^1,2. It is composed of irregular rows of cells ¹.

Function 

The parathyroid gland secretes parathyroid hormones (PTH) which regulates calcium in the body¹. PTH acts on bone and kidney cells¹. In bones, it causes reduction in new bone formation and dissolution of old bones¹. This relases calcium and phosphate into the blood.

PTH also activates vitamin D which increases the absorption of calcium in the small intestine³.

Bibliography

1. KT. Patton, GA. Thibodeau. Anatomy and Physiology. 21st ed. St Louis,, Missouri: Elsevier; 2016.

2.Norman Parathyroid Centre. Parathyroid gland Introduction. Availableat:https://www.parathyroid.com/parathyroid.htm. Accesed on: 24/10/2018.

3. F.Bronner. Mechanisms of Intestinal Absorption. Journal of Cellular Biochemistry.2003;88(2): 387-393. Available at: https://doi.org/101002/jcb.10330. Accessed on: 24/10/2018