U2L6: Regulation of Blood Sugar Flashcards
What is the liver?
It’s an organ with many functions. In digestion, the liver produces bile which helps to emulsify fats. For endocrine function, the liver produces “insulin like growth factor” which has functions similar to insulin.
What is the pancreas?
In digestion, the pancreas makes digestive enzymes that are released in the small intestine. For endocrine functions, the pancreas produces important hormones, including glucagon and insulin.
What are the Islets of Langerhans?
They are endocrine cell clusters in the pancreas that produce the hormones insulin and glucagon. The Alpha Cells create and secrete glucagon while the Beta Cells create and secrete insulin.
What are the two different cell types (even tho theres 4) in Islets of Langerhans?
1) insulin-producing beta cells
2) glucagon-producing alpha cells
What is Glucagon?
A hormone produced by the alpha cells of the Islets of Langerhans in the pancreas to stimulate the liver to convert glycogen back to glucose which is released to the blood.
What is Insulin?
A hormone secreted by the beta cells of the Islets of Langerhans in the pancreas to make target cells more permeable to glucose – enables the body to use sugar and other carbohydrates.
What happens when glucose in the blood is too high?
When glucose increases after eating, the pancreas (the beta cells specifically) start to secrete insulin. The insulin will reduce the high lvl of glucose by signalling cell membranes to become more permeable to glucose, storing glucose as glycogen (in the liver and muscle cells), and converting glucose to fat (in fat tissues).
What happens when glucose in the blood is too low?
When glucose decreases after skipping a meal, the pancreas (the alpha cells specifically) start to secrete glucagon. Glucagon will then increase blood glucose levels by signalling the liver to break down glycogen to glucose and signalling the fat tissues to break fat to glucose.
