Pancreas

The pancreas is an organ behind the stomach that releases digestive enzymes into the small intestine and hormones, including insulin and glucagon, into the blood.

Exocrine pancreas: The pancreatic tissue that secretes digestive enzymes and bicarbonate into the small intestine. Acinar and duct cells form the digestive branch of the organ.
Acinar cell: A secretory cell that produces and releases digestive enzymes. Pancreatic acinar cells package enzymes into secretory granules.
Pancreatitis: Inflammation of the pancreas, often causing severe abdominal pain and digestive illness. Inflammation can impair pancreatic secretion and damage the organ’s tissues.
Liver: A large abdominal organ that processes nutrients, produces bile, and regulates metabolism. The liver manages glucose and digestion-related functions but does not produce pancreatic enzymes.
Endocrine pancreas: The hormone-secreting tissue of the pancreas, organized mainly into clusters called islets. Islets release hormones directly into the bloodstream.
Pancreatic islet: A cluster of hormone-producing cells within the pancreas. Islets contain beta, alpha, and other endocrine cell types.
Pancreatic cancer: A malignancy arising in pancreatic tissue, most often in the exocrine ducts. Tumors can obstruct ducts or disrupt both digestive and endocrine function.
Gallbladder: A small organ that stores and concentrates bile produced by the liver. Bile and pancreatic juice both enter the small intestine, but come from different organs.
Insulin: A hormone that lowers blood glucose by promoting its uptake and storage in tissues. Pancreatic beta cells release insulin when blood glucose rises.
Beta cell: An endocrine cell that produces insulin. Beta cells are the pancreas’s main source of insulin.

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