AS Lecture 6 - The Pancreas Flashcards
What is the shape of pancreas?
Subdivided into head, neck, body, tail, and uncinate process
How does the pancreatic juice reach the duodenum?
Via main and accessory pancreatic ducts
What are the main posterior relations of the pancreas?
IVC, abdominal aorta and left kidney
How do you define endocrine and exocrine secretions?
Endo - to blood stream, carried by blood to distant target organs Exo - through duct, to nearby tissue
What are the main secretions of the pancreas and their actions?
Insulin - reduces BGL Glucagon - Increases BGL Somatostatin - Regulates alpha/beta cells in IoL
What is the endocrine functional part of the pancreas and what does it do?
Islets of Langherhans: secretes hormones into blood (insulin, glucagon, somatostatin and pancreatic polypeptide), regulation of blood glucose, metabolism and growth effects
What is the exocrine functional part of the pancreas and what does it do?
98% of gland - secretes pancreatic juice into duodenum via pancreatic duct/common bile duct, digestive function
How are the pancreatic cells differentiated?
Exo: ducts - acini (grape-like clusters of secretory units), acinar cells secrete proenzymes into ducts Endo: Derived from branching duct system, lose contact with ducts - becoming islets, differentiate into alpha and beta cells secreting into blood
What is the composition of the Islets of Langherhans?
Alpha cells-secrete glucagon > 15-20% Beta cells secrete insulin > 60-70% Delta cells secrete somatostatin > 5-10%
What are the 2 components of pancreatic juice?
Low vol, viscous, enzyme rich from acinar cells Duct and centroacinar cells release high vol, watery, HCO3 rich juice
What is the bicarbonate secretion made from?
Rich in bicarbonate, alkaline pH
Why does bicarbonate secretion stop when pH is still acid (pH 5)?
Bile also contains bicarbonate, and helps neutralise the acid chyme Brunner’s glands secrete alkaline fluid
What is the first step in bicarbonate secretion?

Catalysed by carbonic anhydride, separation of H+ and HCO3-, Na+ moves down gradient via para cellular junctions, then H2O follows.
What is the second step in bicarbonate secretion?

Cl/HCO3 exchange at lumen, Na/H exchange at basolateral membrane into bloodstream Exchange is driven by electrochemical gradient as high ec Na, high Cl in lumen compared to intracellular
What is the third step in bicarbonate secretion?

Na gradient into cell from blood maintained by Na/K pump, uses ATP so 1ry active transport
What is the fourth step in bicarbonate secretion?

K returns to blood via K channel and Cl returns to lumen via Cl channel
How are enzymes stored and released in acinar cells?
Enzymes for digestion of fat, proteins and carbs are synthesised and stored in zymogen granules
How is trypsin activated and what effect does that have on the other proteases released?
Enterokinase (duodenal brush border) breaks down trypsinogen into trypsin which then activates other proteins
How can pancreatic enzyme secretion change and what effect does this have?
Pancreatic secretion adapts to diet, but pancreatic enzymes are essential for normal digestion of a meal and lack of these can lead to malnutrition
What is steatorrhoea?
Increased faecal fat which occurs when pancreatic lipase secretion significantly reduced
How is pancreatic secretion controlled?
Vagus nerve - cholinergic, and communicates info from gut to brain
What are the phases of control of secretion and what happens in each phase?
Initial cephalic phase - reflex response to smell/thought of food, enzyme rich component only, low volumes so mobilises enzymes Gastric phase - Stimulation of pancreatic secretion originating from food arriving in the stomach (same as cephalic phase) Intestinal phase - hormonally mediated when gastric chyme enters duodenum, w/both components of pancreatic juice stimulated
How are the bicarbonate and enzymatic secretions controlled?
Both components separately controlled Bicarbonate controlled by Secretin (cAMP) Enzyme secretion controlled by vagal reflex and by Cholecystokinin (Ca2+/PLC)
What other functions does cholecystokinin have?
Also stimulates bile secretion



