Question

List the hormones secreted by pancreas.

Answer 1

The four main hormones produced by the endocrine pancreas and their functions are
Glucagon

• It is a polypeptide hormone.
• It is secreted by the pancreas when the glucose level in the blood drops.
• It increases the blood glucose levels by initiating glycogenolysis (glycogen degradation) and stimulating gluconeogenesis (synthesis of glucose from non-carbohydrate molecules) in the liver cells.
• Since it increases the blood glucose levels it is a hyperglycemic (hyper-more, glycemic-sugar levels) hormone
• It also initiates lipolysis (degradation of lipid) in the adipose tissue.

Insulin

• It is also a polypeptide hormone
• It has antagonistic (opposite) effects of the hormone glucagon.
• It is released when the glucose level in the blood raises.
• It lowers blood sugar levels in different ways; increasing the uptake of glucose by all the cells in the body, initiating glycogenesis (glycogen synthesis) in the liver and muscle.
• It initiates lipogenesis (synthesis of lipids/fat) and storage of fat in adipose tissue and inhibits gluconeogenesis
• It is a hypoglycemic (hypo=less) hormone as it reduces the sugar levels in the blood

Somatostatin

• Also known as growth hormone-inhibiting hormone (GHIH)
• It acts locally on the Islets of Langerhans and inhibit the secretion of both insulin and glucagon
• It also reduces gastric secretions and inhibits the release of gastrointestinal hormones

Pancreatic Polypeptide

• It is a polypeptide secreted by the cells of the pancreas.
• Protein is strong stimulus for its production
• It affects gastric and biliary secretion and motility of the GI tract