The East Frisian Islands, the Canary Islands, the Greek Islands. Beautiful, well-known destinations. But where do you go when you set out for the Langerhans’ Islands? Join gesundheit.de on a trip to the inside of the human body, to the pancreas.
Location of the islets of Langerhans
The pancreas, or pancreas, is a 15-20 cm long gland located behind the stomach in the upper abdomen. Two major functions are performed by it:
- Release of digestive enzymes into the intestinal lumen (exocrine function).
- Delivery of hormones to the blood (endocrine function).
The islets of Langerhans, named after their discoverer, are distributed like islands throughout the organ and form the endocrine part of the pancreas. A healthy adult has approximately 1 million islet cells.
Function of islets of Langerhans
The alpha cells of the islet organ, as the islets of Langerhans are also called, produce the hormone glucagon, the counterpart to insulin, which is produced in the beta cells. Glucagon raises blood sugar, insulin lowers it.
Furthermore, there are the gamma and delta cells, which release the growth hormone somatotropin and the growth-inhibiting hormone somatostatin into the blood.
Here ends our short excursion to the islets of Langerhans. You can learn more about the pancreas and its functions in our anatomy encyclopedia, where you can also marvel at other organs at your leisure!
