Endocrine Pancreas

Islet Amyloid Polypeptide (IAPP) IAPP is a 37-amino acid protein that is the principal component of islet amyloid deposits. These deposits are formed in normal islets during aging but are more abundant in the islets of individuals with type 2 diabetes. The amino acid sequences of IAPP from normal and diabetic subjects are identical, and

The endocrine pancreas is composed of the islets of Langerhans, which comprise approximately two million  clusters of cells dispersed within the acinar tissue of the exocrine pancreas. Whereas the exocrine pancreas is  responsible for secreting digestive enzymes for nutrient absorption, the endocrine pancreas regulates nutrient  homeostasis and metabolism, including uptake, storage, and release of metabolic

The pancreatic islets are richly innervated by autonomic and sensory nerves. Insulin secretion is enhanced by stimulation of parasympathetic nerves and inhibited by stimulation of sympathetic nerves. Sensory pathways are for the most part inhibitory. Additional neural pathways mediate direct entero-pancreatic interactions. The cephalic phase of insulin secretion refers to the first 3–4 min of

Glucagon and Glucagon-Like Peptides Glucagon and the glucagon-like peptides, GLP-1 and GLP-2, are the products of a single gene and are derived from differential posttranslational processing of a single proglucagon protein. Glucagon is produced by the alpha cells of the pancreatic islets, and the GLPs are produced by entero-endocrine cells of the small and large

Somatostatin was originally identified in 1973 in hypothalamic extracts as a 14-amino acid peptide that inhibits the release of growth hormone from dispersed rat pituitary cells. Since then,somatostatin and its receptors have been found in all neuroendocrine tissues, as well as in the central and peripheral nervous systems. A single somatostatin gene codes for two