Journal of Surgery

The pancreas, an endodermal organ, is the primary regulator of protein and carbohydrate digestion as well as glucose homeostasis. The exocrine pancreas is made up of a network of branching acinar and duct cells that create and distribute digestive zymogens into the gastrointestinal tract. In response to signals from the stomach and duodenum, the acinar cells, which are arranged in functional units along the duct network, generate and exude zymogens into the ductal lumen. Centroacinar cells are found in the acinar units near the ducts. The endocrine pancreas, which regulates metabolism and glucose homeostasis by secreting hormones into the circulation, is made up of four specialised endocrine cell types organised into Islets of Langerhans clusters.