What are Exocrine Glands?

Exocrine glands are glands that secrete their products (enzymes) into ducts (duct glands). They are the counterparts to endocrine glands, which secrete their products (hormones) directly into the bloodstream (ductless glands).

What are the types of Exocrine Glands? There are multiple ways of classifying Exocrine Glands A. By structure Exocrine glands contain a glandular portion and a duct portion, the structures of which can be used to classify the gland.

The duct portion may be branched (called compound) or unbranched (called simple). The glandular portion may be tubular, acinar, or may be a mix of the two (called tubuloacinar). If the glandular portion branches, then the gland is called a branched gland.

B. By Methods of Secretion

Exocrine glands are named apocrine gland, holocrine gland, or merocrine gland based on how their product is secreted. Apocrine glands - a portion of the plasma membrane buds off the cell, containing the secretion. Apocrine gland is often used to refer to the apocrine sweat glands which use merocrine secretion. Holocrine glands - the entire cell disintegrates to secrete its substance. Merocrine glands - cells secrete their substances by exocytosis. Also called "eccrine." C. By products secreted Serous cells secrete proteins, often enzymes. Examples include chief cells and Paneth cells

Mucous cells secrete mucus. Examples include Brunner's glands, esophageal glands, and pyloric glands Mixed glands secrete both protein and mucus. Examples include the salivary glands, although parotid gland is predominantly serous, and sublingual gland is predominantly mucous.

List of Exocrine Glands

Name
Apocrine Sweat Glands

Characteristics
While the bulk of actual sweat is produced by simple sweat glands called eccrine glands, apocrine glands in the skin act primarily as scent glands. Apocrine glands are considerably larger, are more deeply embedded in the skin, and produce a much thicker secretion than eccrine glands. Rather than cooling the body, the primary function of apocrine sweat glands is to produce a sexual scent that is as individual as a fingerprint. These glands become active once puberty sets in and play a vital part in sexual attraction. two glands located slightly posterior and to the left and right of the opening of the vagina. They secrete mucus to lubricate the vagina and are homologous to bulbourethral glands in males. However, while Bartholin's glands are located in the superficial perineal pouch in females, bulbourethral glands are located in the deep perineal pouch in males.

Hormones Effects to the Secreted body

Pheromone, Apocrine glands react to stress and sexual activity, and respond by producing sweat with a personally characteristic.

Bartholins Gland

Mucus

They secrete mucus to provide vaginal lubrication.[2][3] Bartholin's glands secrete relatively minute amounts (one or two drops) of fluid when a woman is sexually aroused.[4] The minute droplets of fluid were once believed to be important for lubricating the vagina, but research from Masters and Johnson

demonstrated that vaginal lubrication comes from deeper within the vagina.[4] The fluid may slightly moisten the labial opening of the vagina, serving to make contact with this sensitive area more comfortable for the woman Anterior Lingual Glands They are between 12 to 25 mm. in length, and approximately 8 mm. wide, and each opens by three or four ducts on the under surface of the tongue's apex.

Brunners Glands

Brunner's glands are found in a part of the digestive system known as the duodenum. The duodenum is the section of gut through which food passes after leaving the stomach. Brunner's glands produce alkaline mucus, which neutralizes acid from the stomach as it enters the duodenum. As long as Brunner's glands function normally, this mucus helps protect the duodenal lining. Occasionally, the glands can grow abnormally and develop into a tumor, but this is typically benign, or noncancerous.

Alkaline Mucus

1. protect the

duodenum from the acidic content of chyme (whic h is introduced into the duodenum from the stomach); 2. provide an alkaline condition for the intestinal enzymes to be active, thus enabling absorption to take place; 3. lubricate the intestinal

walls.

Bulbourethral Gland

The bulbourethral gland is a small gland approximately the size of a pea that is part of the male reproductive system. Two bulbourethral glands are attached to the urethra and are located behind it with one on each side. Also known as Cowpers gland in honor of the English surgeon and anatomist William Cowper who provided early descriptions of it, the bulbourethral gland is an exocrine gland. The secretions of exocrine glands are ultimately transported out of the body. In the case of the bulbourethral gland, such secretions leave the body through the urethra

Cowpowder s Fluid

Discharge of Cowpers fluid by the bulbourethral gland helps to flush any debris out of the urethra before sexual intercourse. Its relative alkalinity helps neutralize any residual acidity in the urethra from urine and the naturally acidic environment of the vagina. This helps create a more hospitable environment conducive to the survival of sperm that increases the chance of reproduction. Cowpers fluid contributes to lubrication of both the penis and the vagina during sexual activity. It also plays a role in the coagulation of

semen a few seconds after ejaculation from the penis.

Ciaccios Glands

The medial canthus contains the caruncle, a pinkish part of the eyelid that houses small accessory tear glands called Ciaccio's glands

Tears

Keeps the eyes lubricated and free of debris.

Ebners Glands

These glands are located around circumvallate and foliate papillae in the tongue, and they secrete lingual lipase, beginning the process of lipid hydrolysis in the mouth. These glands empty their serous secretion into the base of the moats located around the foliate and circumvallate papillae

Lingual Lipase

flushes material from the moat to enable the taste buds to respond rapidly to changing stimuli

Eccrine Sweat Glands

is controlled by the sympathetic nervous system, regulates body temperature. When internal temperature rises, the eccrine glands secrete water to the skin surface, where heat is removed by evaporation.

Sweat

It cools our body.

Esophageal Glands

it is a relatively thick layer of dense irregular connective tissue. In addition to binding and generally supporting the overall organ, the submucosa of the esophagus supports the vascular and nerve supplies of the organ.

Mucus

lubricate the esophageal epithelial lining.

Goblet Cells

are glandular simple columnar epithelial cells whose sole function is to secrete mucus. They secrete using both apocrine and merocrine me thods of secretion.

Mucus

It coats the epithelium of vulnerable structures to protect them from chemical or mechanical damage, and to trap invading pathogen s.

Crypts of Henle

are microscopic pockets found in scattered sections of the conjunctiva around the eyeball

Mucin

It coats the cornea to provide a hydrophilic layer that allows for even distribution of the tear film. The layer of mucin allows tears to glide evenly across the eyes surface.

Krauses Gland

are small, mucous accessory lacrimal glands that are found underneath the eyelid where the upper and lower conjuctivae meet.

tears

Crypts of Lieberkhn

are glands found in the epithelial lining of the small intestine and colon.

Enzymes

Urethral Gland

are glandsthat branch off the wall of the urethra of male mammals.

Mucus

Protects the epithelium from the urine

Mammary Gland

is an organ in female mammals that produces milk to feed young offspring.

Milk

providing young mammals with the basic nutrition they need to thrive and grow until they are old enough to eat solid foods.

Meibomian Gland

are a special kind of sebaceous glands at the rim of the eyelids, responsible for the supply of sebum, an oily substance that prevents evaporation of the eye's tear film, prevents tear spillage onto the cheek, and makes the closed lids airtight.

Sebum

Prevents tear spillage onto the cheek, and makes the closed lids airtight.

Glands of Moll

also known as ciliary glands, are modified apocrine sweat glands that are found on the margin of the eyelid.

Lipid

adds to the superficial layer of the tear film, retarding evaporation

Glands of Montgomer y

are sebaceous glands in the areola (of the nipple)

lipoid fluid

Keeps the areola and the nipple lubricated and protected.

Olfactory Glands

Beneath the epithelium, and extending through the thickness of the mucous membrane, is a layer of tubular, often branched, glands,

Paneth Cells

Paneth cells are specialized cells found in the mucosa of the intestinal tract, particularly in microscopic structures called glands or crypts of Lieberkhn

AlphaDefensins

Provides host defense against microbes i n the small intestine.

Parathyroid glands

The parathyroid glands are small hormone producing glands in the neck that regulate the amount of calcium in the blood stream.

Parathyroid hormones

Parotid Glands

The parotid gland is the largest of the salivary glands. It is found wrapped around the mandibular ramus, and it secretes saliva through Stensen's duct into the oral cavity, to facilitate mastication and swallowing

Saliva

To facilitate mastication and swallowing

Peyers Patches

Peyer's patches are secondary lymphoid organs, named after the 17th-century Swiss anatomis t Johann Conrad Peyer. They are aggregations of lymphoid tissue that are usually found in the lowest portion of the small intestine (ileum) in humans; as such, they differentiate the ileum from the duodenum and jejunum in that the number of Peyer's patches increase further down

gutassociated lymphoid tissue (GAL T).

Sensitized cells inside these areas identify antigens and decide whether they are harmless, associated with foods that the person is consuming for nutrition, or harmful, and

the intestine (ie. terminal ileum contains most Peyer's patches).

linked with organisms like bacteria that could try to colonize the body.

Pyloric Glands

The pyloric glands are found in the pyloric portion of the stomach. They consist of two or three short closed tubes opening into a common duct or mouth. These tubes are wavy, and are about one-half the length of the duct. The duct is lined by columnar cells, continuous with the epithelium lining the surface of the mucous membrane of the stomach, the tubes by shorter and more cubical cell which are finely granular.

Mucus

Sebaceous Glands

are glands found in the skin of mammals.

Sebum

It helps keep a persons skin and hair from becoming too dry.

Skenes Glands

are glands located on the upper wall of the vagina, around the lower end of the urethra. They drain into the urethra and near the urethral opening. These glands are surrounded with tissue, which includes the part of the clitoris that reaches up inside the vagina and swells with blood during sexual arousal. are the glands that produce mucin and help promote the production of saliva. Saliva ecause of the secretions of the glands, the interior area of the mouth is kept lubricated, which is necessary for chewing and swallowing food.

Sublingual Glands

Submandibular Glands

are salivary glands located beneath the floor of the mouth. In humans, they account for 70% of the salivary volume.

Saliva

control the release saliva into the area of the mouth that is located just under the tongue.

Gland of Zeis

are unilobar sebaceous glands located on the margin of the eyelid.