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Alpha cells (α-cells) are endocrine cells that are found in the Islets of Langerhans in the pancreas. Alpha cells secrete the peptide hormone glucagon in order to increase glucose levels in the blood stream.
There are about 1 million islets distributed throughout the pancreas of a healthy adult human. While islets vary in size, the average diameter is about 0.2 mm. [5]:928 Each islet is separated from the surrounding pancreatic tissue by a thin, fibrous, connective tissue capsule which is continuous with the fibrous connective tissue that is interwoven throughout the rest of the pancreas.
Pancreatic islets contain alpha cells, beta cells, and delta cells, each of which releases a different hormone. These cells have characteristic positions, with alpha cells (secreting glucagon) tending to be situated around the periphery of the islet, and beta cells (secreting insulin) more numerous and found throughout the islet. [9]
n/a Ensembl n/a n/a UniProt n a n/a RefSeq (mRNA) n/a n/a RefSeq (protein) n/a n/a Location (UCSC) n/a n/a PubMed search n/a n/a Wikidata View/Edit Human Glucagon is a peptide hormone, produced by alpha cells of the pancreas. It raises the concentration of glucose and fatty acids in the bloodstream and is considered to be the main catabolic hormone of the body. It is also used as a medication ...
If the blood glucose level falls to dangerously low levels (as during very heavy exercise or lack of food for extended periods), the alpha cells of the pancreas release glucagon, a peptide hormone which travels through the blood to the liver, where it binds to glucagon receptors on the surface of liver cells and stimulates them to break down glycogen stored inside the cells into glucose (this ...
The secretion of insulin by these beta cells is regulated by the paracrine activity of alpha and delta cells also located within the pancreatic islets, and the autocrine activity of neighboring beta cells. [3] Alpha cells in the pancreatic islet release glucagon, a hormone that regulates blood glucose levels antagonistically to insulin by ...
Pancreatic stellate cell; Islets of Langerhans. Alpha cell; Beta cell; PP cell (F cell, gamma cell) Delta cell; Epsilon cell; Pharyngeal pouch. Thyroid gland
Insulin is produced by the pancreas in a region called islets of Langerhans. In the islets of Langerhans, there are beta-cells, which are responsible for production and storage of insulin. Insulin is secreted as a response mechanism for counteracting the increasing excess amounts of glucose in the blood.