What is an exocrine pancreas?
The exocrine pancreas is used to describe the role of the pancreas during digestion. Pancreas plays two roles in vertebrate bodies, the role of the endocrine gland and the role of the exocrine gland. As an endocrine gland, the pancreas excludes insulin, glucagon and somatostatin, which are hormones. As an exocrine gland, it excludes pancreatic juice, which contains digestive enzymes into the small intestine, which are proteins that help in food digestion. It is not formed by two different parts, but instead endocrine and exocrine pancreas mix together throughout the organ. Clusters of pipes called Acini can be found within the pancreas. In response to stimulating hormones secreting stomach in response to food entering the stomach, pancreatic juice is released into Acini. From there the juices are discharged into intralobular canals and then the main pancreatic canal, which leads directly to the small intestine.
Pancreatic juice is released as the food passes from the stomach to the small intestine. There are two different types of secretions that make up a pancroeEatical juice that is released by exocrine pancreas. The three main types of enzymes found in pancreatic juice are amylase, lipase and protease. Amylase is used to break starch into smaller carbohydrates and sugar molecules. Lipase decomposes fats while the proteases spend proteins.
Most protein digestion in the body is caused by protease found in pancreatic juice. Several different proteases are excreted by an exocrine pancreas, but the main two are trypsin and Chymotrypsin. The role of trypsin and chymotrypsin should divide large protein molecules into smaller peptides. They do not stop them all the way to the individual amino acids Though. The last step is carried out by other enzymes, peptidases found in the small intestine.
The second type of secretion produced by an exocrine pancreas within the pancreatic juice is bicarbonate ions. Food that has been partially cleaned in the stomach, called chyme, is highly acidic due to the stomach found instomach. Bicarbonate ions are alkaline in nature, so their task is to neutralize partially spent food and liquid that passes into the small intestine and protects the intestinal cells from damage to stomach acid. Bicarbonate ions are excreted from cells lining exocrine pancreas.