Pancreas Gland Hormones Flashcards
Whats does the Pancreas Gland do?
Provides digestive juices & endocrine functions
Located behind the stomach & connected to the small intestine by the Pancreatic Duct
What are the Islets of Langerhans?
A scattered group of cells in the pancreas where blood sugar regulation occurs
What two substances does the Pancreas secrete?
Insulin - from the beta cells
Glucagon - from the alpha cells
What does Insulin do?
It makes cells more permeable to glucose - which lowers blood glucose levels
What does Glucagon?
It causes the conversion of glycogen to glucose in the liver - which increases blood glucose levels
Pancreas/glucose regulation negative feedback loop
Increased conc. of glucose cases the Beta cells to secrete insulin
Insulin will act on specific receptors throughout the body to make target cells more permeable to glucose (muscle cells for cell resp. and glycogen conversion)
As glucose levels return to normal, insulin secretion slows
Decreased blood sugar levels ( e.g. exercise, fatigue) causes the Alpha cells of the Islets of Langerhans to release Glucagon
Glucagon stimulates the liver to convert Glycogen back into Glucose & release it into the blood
What happens when there is a Glucose imbalance?
Diabetes Melitus
Diabetes Melitus (Type 1) specs
The most common illness due to hormonal imbalance (failure of pancreas to produce insulin of the inability of the body cells to take it up)
Hyperglycemia symptoms develop (high blood sugar) & glucose appears in urine
Immune system produces antibodies that attack/destroy beta cells so they can’t produce insulin
Chronic condition w/ no cure - usually diagnosed in childhood, injections needed daily
Without insulin, cells remain impermeable to glucose & person will experience fatigue
Bodies will switch to digesting protein & fat (produces ketones which cause bad breath)
Kidneys unable to reabsorb all the glucose so osmotic gradient shifts: urine out increases, individual dehydrates
Long term ~ it can cause blindness, kidney failure, nerve damage, gangrene in the limbs
One of the leading causes of death in Canada
Adult Onset Diabetes (Type 2) specs
90% of people with diabetes
Develops gradually in adulthood
Receptors stop responding to insulin or the body produces less insulin over time
Overweight individuals have a higher chance of developing Type 2
Usually controlled with diet, exercise & oral meds - if not taken care of, it can develop into Type 1 (Injections)
What is a metabolism?
All chemical reactions that occur within a cell to support and sustain its life functions
