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Biology
What is the difference between endocrine and exocrine glands?
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1 Reply
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Glands are organs that secrete substances which perform certain functions in our body. They are usually made up of epithelial tissue. Their secretions include mucin, hormones, milk, enzymes, electrolytes etc. They are divided into two types – Endocrine glands and Exocrine glands.
Endocrine glands:
Endocrine glands secrete hormones directly into the blood and travels to tissues and organs all over the body. They are also called ductless glands as they do not possess any ducts. The hormones released by these glands regulate some important functions in the human body like metabolism, reproduction, menstrual flow, growth, response to injury and stress, and sleep. The response time of the endocrine glands is generally delayed due to the release of substances in the blood which then transported to the target tissues. Endocrine glands include thyroid, testes and ovaries, pituitary gland, hypothalamus and adrenal glands, etc.
Exocrine glands:
Exocrine glands secretes substances such as saliva, sweat, digestive juices etc onto our body surfaces. The secretions produced by exocrine glands help in regulation of multiple functions such as controlling body temperature (through sweat glands), lubricating hair and skin, absorption of nutrients etc. Exocrine glands possesses a quicker response time as they are released directly at the target site. These glands can be classified into two types according to the duct types: simple exocrine gland (unbranched ducts) and compound exocrine gland (branching ducts). Typical exocrine glands are salivary glands, sweat glands, mammary glands, digestive system glands.
Only the pancreas is the organ in the human body that acts as both endocrine and exocrine glands. It produces pancreatic juice with digestive enzymes via ducts which comes under the exocrine system. On the other hand, the endocrine function of pancreas is the production of hormones such as insulin and glucagon that control the amount of sugar in your bloodstream.
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