The pancreas is a glandular organ that is often depicted in medical texts as a feather-shaped organ. The head of the pancreas attaches to the duodenum portion of the small intestine, and the tail tapers featherlike along the bottom of the stomach. The pancreas is an essential organ for digestion and hormone production.
Tissue Composition
The pancreas has two types of tissue -- exocrine and endocrine. More than 98 percent of the pancreas is exocrine, and this type of tissue secretes pancreatic juice, which is transported to the small intestine by a complex system of ducts. Approximately 1 million clusters of endocrine cells, called the Islets of Langerhans, are embedded in the exocrine pancreatic tissue. These cell clusters secrete hormones directly into the bloodstream.
Digestion Function
The pancreas secretes several enzymes into the small intestine during digestion. The enzymes, including carboxypeptidase, pancreatic amylase and lipase, break down proteins, carbohydrates and fats, respectively. Pancreatic juice is alkaline because it contains a high concentration of bicarbonate ions. The alkaline juice decreases the acidity of digested food that empties from the stomach.
Hormones
The most notable hormone secreted by the Islets of Langerhans is insulin. Insulin regulates glucose, protein and fat metabolism. Glucagon is another hormone secreted by these cells, and it functions to counteract many of the actions of insulin. Other hormones produced in the pancreas include ghrelin, pancreatic polypeptide and somatostatin.
Disorders and Diseases
Inflammation of the pancreas, called pancreatitis, can cause acute abdominal pain. The most common causes of pancreatitis are gallstones and excessive alcohol use, according to the University of Cincinnati Pancreatic Disease Center. Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency is a condition in which the exocrine tissue is injured, leading to impairment of pancreatic juice production and secretion. This often results in malnutrition because digestion is hampered.
The most common disease of the pancreas, however, is diabetes. People who have Type 2 diabetes have impaired insulin secretion and are also insulin-resistant. In people who have Type 1 diabetes, the Islets of Langerhans have been destroyed by the immune system, and insulin injections are required to correct high glucose levels.
