Functional anatomy of the pancreas

Question 1

What are the 2 types of secretions

Answer 1

Exocrine, endocrine

Question 2

What substances are included under ‘endocrine’ secretions, and what are they produced by?

Answer 2

Insulin, glucagon produced by Islets of langerhans

Question 3

What organ is the pancreas connected to, and by what structure?

Answer 3

To the duodenum, by ducts

Question 4

What is the name of the main pancreatic duct? what duct does it join, and how does it enter the duodenum?

Answer 4

‘Duct of ventral primordium’, joins the bile duct (of the liver) and enters the duodenum together at the major duodenal papilla.

Question 5

What is the name of the accessory pancreatic duct, and where does it enter the duodenum?

Answer 5

Duct of dorsal primordium, connects to the duodenum via the minor duodenal papilla

Question 6

What arteries supply the pancreas?

Answer 6

Coeliac, cranial mesenteric

Question 7

Is the pancreas innervated by the parasympathetic (vagal) fibres, sympathetic fibres, or both?

Answer 7

Both, meaning both ‘fight/ flight’ and ‘rest/ digest’ have effects on the pancreas

Question 8

What vein supplies the pancreas with nutrient rich blood, and what is the circulatory term for this?

Answer 8

Portal vein, ‘venous blood’

Question 9

What type of gland is the pancreas?

Answer 9

Compound acinus

Question 10

What state of eating are zymogen granules more common within pyramidal epithelial cells?

Answer 10

Fasting

Question 11

What enzymes are contained in zymogen granules?

Answer 11

Digestive enzymes

Question 12

What cells bound the small duct which the acinus flows into?

Answer 12

Centroacinar cells

Question 13

What duct do the small ducts (from the acini) drain into?

Answer 13

Intralobular (intercalated) duct

Question 14

What epithelia lines the intralobular duct, how does this vary with the size of the duct?

Answer 14

Begins with low columnar epithelia, as the duct gets larger, the cells become taller

Question 15

What epithelia is located in interlobular ducts?

Answer 15

Stratified cuboidal

Question 16

What unicellular gland do pancreatic ducts contain?

Answer 16

Goblet cells

Question 17

What type of cells make up the Islet of langerhans, and how are they distributed in the pancreas?

Answer 17

Masses of endocrine cells that are scattered throughout the exocrine pancreas.

Question 18

What is the vascularity of the endocrine cells (of the pancreas), why?

Answer 18

High vascularity as the secretions are transported via blood as they have no ducts

Question 19

There are 4 types of cells within this endocrine pancreas, name them and outline which are nongranular, and which are.

Answer 19

Alpha cells (A) (granular)
Beta cells (B) (granular)
Nongranular (C cells)
Delta cells (D) (granular)

Question 20

What hormone do Alpha (A) cells produce, and what is its effect?

Answer 20

Glucagon
Increase blood glucose by promoting glycogen breakdown in the liver

Question 21

What hormone to Beta (B) cells produce, and what is its effect?

Answer 21

Insulin
Lowers blood glucose by promoting update of glucose and storing as glycogen

Question 22

What hormone do Delta (D) cells produce, and what is its effect?

Answer 22

Somatostatin
Inhibits B/A cell hormone production