Lactotroph

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Lactotrophs (also known as lactotrope, mammatroph, mammotroph, epsilon acidophil, prolactin cell, and lactotropic cell) are cells in the anterior pituitary which produce prolactin in response to signals including dopamine and estrogen. Dopamine has an inhibitory effect on PRL secretion.

If these cells undergo neoplastic transformation, they will give rise to a prolactinoma, a prolactin-secreting pituitary adenoma.

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