What are the Exocrine Glands?

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Our body has two types of glands, the Endocrine glands and Exocrine glands. Exocrine glands are mostly identified as the glands that keep the ducts on the body surfaces whereas endocrine glands are termed as ductless glands because in the process of development, these glands loose their contact or attachment with the embryological ducts or surfaces and remain as only tissue blocks in the body. Both these glands have been found to secrete substances like, enzymes, hormones, metabolites and other varied molecules. The cell products of exocrine glands get collected in the duct and moves towards the surface as the duct is in contact with the surface whereas in endocrine glands as there are no ducts, the cell product is released into the  interstitial You do not have access to view this node.

What Are Exocrine Glands?

Exocrine glands are the type of glands in which its secretion travels through an array of ducts and is ultimately released to the body exterior. Due to this the inner surface of glands and the ducts that are in contact with the surface are continuously in contact with each other and to the exterior body surface. Most of the glands in our body are exocrine glands and these are more prominent in sweat, sebaceous and mammary glands. Exocrine glands are also prominent in glands that are known to store digestive enzymes.

What are the types of exocrine glands?

The exocrine glands are mostly of two types:

• Unicellular exocrine glands
• Multicellular exocrine glands

Unicellular exocrine glands: This type of exocrine glands comprises of single cells that are highly specialized for storage and lay interspersed amidst other non secreting epithelial cells. Since they are single celled or unicellular they are devoid of ducts but even then they are called as exocrine glands as their secretion is located directly on open body cavity free surface. Goblet cells that secrete mucus located in the trachea’s epithelium as well as the digestive tube are the most common examples of unicellular exocrine glands.

Multicellular exocrine glands : The multicellular exocrine glands are formed due to different reasons like invagination, epithelial sheet or in-pouching. The epithelium present on the surface areas moves further down the tissues lying beneath and form a complex or simple tube. This tube has a blind end that is meant for secretion and it can remain as it is or even blow up to form alveoli or acini which are the round shaped bags.

What are the different modes of secretion in exocrine glands?

Exocrine glands secretes its secretion in three various ways. These secretion modes are:

• Merocrine glands that secrete their own cell product from intact You do not have access to view this node
• Aprocrine glands gather its secretory product at the top surface of every cell which later gets separated from the rest and form gland’s lumen. Afterwards, the damaged cells during separation repair themselves.
• In Holocrine glands the whole cells along with their secretion gather together forming secretory product of the gland and the cells discharged in the process are substituted by the new You do not have access to view this node.

What are the examples of exocrine glands?

Some of the prominent examples of exocrine glands are:

• Salivary glands that are a type of merocrine glands and secrete saliva
• Glands present in liver for bile production
• Prostate gland
• Glands in pancreas secreting pancreatic fluid
• Gastric glands
• Sweat glands
  
   

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