Pancreas: Development and Regeneration Potential

The pancreas is a glandular organ in the body that has two major functions: exocrine and endocrine. The exocrine pancreas is responsible for synthesizing and secreting digestive enzymes into the stomach that are required to digest food and effectively absorb them. In this case, the role of the pancreas is external. The endocrine pancreas, on the other hand, secretes several hormones into the blood, well known among them being insulin and glucagon, which control the blood sugar levels. The endocrine role of the pancreas is internal. The first section of this article discusses the cellular structure and development of the pancreas in the embryo and the different progenitor cells in the embryo that give rise to the adult pancreatic cells. The second section describes the ...