Pancreas
The pancreas is both a digestive gland and an endocrine gland. Its islet cells produce insulin and glucagon, the main regulators of blood sugar.
Auch bekannt als: Pankreas, Beta-Zellen, Alpha-Zellen, Langerhans-Inseln
Dual function
- Exocrine: Forms digestive enzymes (proteases, lipases, amylases) that are released into the small intestine → Digestive system
- Endocrine: the islets of Langerhans release hormones into the blood
The islet cells
- Beta cells: produce Insulin (lowers blood sugar, anabolic) → Insulin (hormone physiology)
- Alpha cells: produce Glucagon (raises blood sugar, mobilizes liver glycogen)
- Delta cells: Somatostatin (dampen both)
Blood sugar regulation
- Insulin and glucagon work in opposite directions and keep blood sugar stable → Glucose metabolism
- Beta cell failure / insulin resistance → diabetes
Relevance
- GLP-1/GIP active ingredients (incretins) affect, among other things, insulin secretion → Semaglutide (Ozempic/Wegovy), Tirzepatide (Mounjaro)
- Chronic high carbohydrate/calorie loads put long-term stress on the beta cells
Sources
- Röder PV et al. Pancreatic regulation of glucose homeostasis. Exp Mol Med. 2016. PubMed
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