The Pancreas

Question 1

What is The Pancreas?

Answer 1

• Elongated gland found behind the stomach

Question 2

What is the exocrine function of the pancreas?

Answer 2

central pancreatic duct delivers secretions to the duodenum

Question 3

What is the endocrine function of the pancreas?

Answer 3

Pancreatic islet cells secrete hormones

• Alpha cells secrete glucagon
• Beta cells secrete insulin

Question 4

Question 5

What is Insulin?

Answer 5

• Polypeptide hormone produced by the beta cells of the pancreas
• Increased during absorptive state and decreased during post-absorptive state
• Main effects are on muscle cells (skeletal and cardiac), adipocytes and hepatocytes

Question 6

What happens to muscle cells when plasma insulin increases?

Answer 6

• increase glucose uptake and utilization
• ## net glycogen synthesis

Question 7

What happens to Adipocytes when plasma insulin increases?

Question 8

What happens to liver cells when plasma insulin increases?

Question 9

What happens to muscle cells when plasma insulin decreases?

Question 10

What happens to adipocytes when plasma insulin decreases?

Question 11

What happens to liver cells when plasma insulin decreases?

Question 12

Question 13

Answer 13

The brain has a glucose transporter that is insulin-independent, ensuring it always has access to glucose

vesicles need insulin for glucose tranpsorters to function and uprake glucose into the cell

Question 14

What insulin-independent mechanism has the same effect on GLUT4 transporters?

Answer 14

excersize

Question 15

What is Glucagon?

Answer 15

• Polypeptide hormone produced by the alpha cells of the pancreas
• Primarily controlled by negative feedback mechanism but also by neural and hormonal inputs to the islets (same as insulin)

Question 16

Diabetes Mellitus

What is Type 1 Diabetes?

Answer 16

• Autoimmune syndrome where the beta cells are attacked by the immune system
• Individuals with T1D require insulin injections to maintain glucose homeostasis

Question 17

Diabetes Mellitus

What is Type 2 Diabetes?

Answer 17

Target cells of insulin become
hyporesponsive (or insulin resistant)

Question 18

chronic stress leads to chronically high levels of cortisol in the plasma. What effect might this have on symptoms of diabetes

Answer 18

higher glucose blood concentrations
someone with diabetes would unable to regulate