BRAINCAKEEndocrine Glands
Endocrine glands are groups of secretory cells that release hormones directly into the blood. They have no ducts and are richly supplied with capillaries, so their hormones pass straight into the blood and are carried around the body.
This is different from exocrine glands, such as the salivary glands and sweat glands, which secrete their products through a duct onto a surface or into a cavity. The pancreas is both: its exocrine tissue secretes digestive enzymes into the pancreatic duct, while its endocrine tissue, the islets of Langerhans, secretes hormones into the blood.
Sign in free to see the rest of this lesson, the R.E.C.I.P.E. recall steps and the quiz
BrainCake is free. Make an account in seconds and pick up where this page stops.
Key terms in this lesson
- islets of langerhans
- Groups of hormone-secreting cells in the pancreas, including insulin-secreting beta cells and glucagon-secreting alpha cells.
More in Chemical Control
- Feedback Systems
- Negative Feedback
- Positive Feedback
- Chemical Control
- Hormone Release System
- Pituitary Gland
- Second Messenger System
- Plant Stimuli
All 30 lessons in Chemical Control · All Edexcel A-level Biology topics