Pancreas Flashcards
What is the pancreas derived from?
a foregut derivative - arises at foregut-midgut junction with dorsal and ventral buds
duodenum rotates to form central bud and ventral pancreas moves to lie adjacent to dorsal bud and both fuse
ventral duct = main pancreatic duct, dorsal = accessory
What is the functional anatomy of the pancreas?
uncinate, head, neck , body, tail islet tissue (endocrine) most abundant in the tail but endocrine and exocrine throughout
pancreas lies on posterior abdominal wall extends from C shaped duodenum to hilum of spleen
How does pancreatic juice reach duodenum?
via main and accessory pancreatic ducts
What are the main posterior relations of the pancreas?
Close relations and blood supply?
IVC, abdominal aorta, left kidney
coeliac and SMA (blood supply carries away endocrine hormones and fuels activity of pancreas during digestion
What are endocrine and exocrine glands?
endocrine - secretion into blood to have effect on distant target organ, ductless
exocrine - secretion into duct to have direct local effect
What is gastrin?
an autocrine hormone
What are the 2 functional parts of the pancreas?
endocrine 2%
- islets of langerhans
- secrete insulin, glucagon, somatostatin and pancreatic polypeptide into blood
- regulate blood glucose, metabolism, and growth effects
exocrine
- secrete pancreatic juice into duodenum via pancreatic duct/common bile duct
How is the duct system developed?
islets - endocrine components that eventually lose contact with the duct system and sit independently in the exocrine pancreas
- differentiate into a and b cells
acini and ducts - exocrine components
- acini are clusters of secretory units
- acinar cells secrete pro enzymes into ducts
What is the composition of islets?
a cells - 15-20%, glucagon
b cells - 60-70%, insulin
d cells - 5-10%, somatostatin
highly vascular so all endocrine cells have access to secretion sites
What are 2 components of pancreatic juice?
acinar cells - make low volume, viscous and enzyme rich
= contain secretory granules of enzymes
duct and centroacinar cells - high volume, watery, HCO3- rich
= smaller and paler
What is the function of bicarbonate secretion by centroacinar and duct cells?
juice rich in HCO3- = 120mM (plasma is 25mM) pH 7.5-8
- neutralise acid from stomach chyme
- prevent damage to duodenal mucosa
- raise pH to op range for pancreatic enzymes
- wash low volume acinar secretion out of pancreas to duodenum
What is the effect of duodenal pH on bicarbonate secretion rate?
ph <3 - not much more increase in HCO3 secretion
ph<5 linear increase in pancreatic bicarbonate secretion
emptying more stomach contents into duodenum cause increase water and HCO3 release to neutralise acid
Why does bicarbonate secretion stop when pH still acid?
bile also contains bicarbonate and helps neutralise chyme
brunners glands secrete alkaline fluid
What are the steps in HCO3 secretion?
- carbonic anhydrase in duct cell catalyses formation of H and HCO3
- separated products
- Na moved down [] gradient paracellularly and H2O follows
- Cl and HCO3 exchange at lumen
- H and Na exchange at basolateral membrane into bloodstream
- Na/K ATPase pump maintains Na gradient into cell (primary active transport)
- K+ and Cl- return to lumen via ion channels
What is the pH of gastric venous blood and pancreatic venous blood?
same reaction in parietal and duct cells
stomach - H+ to lumen and HCO3 to blood so blood is alkaline
pancreas - HCO3 to juice and H+ into blood so blood is acidic