Exocrine glands

Glands are special types of cells, which are specialized to produce products to be used elsewhere in the body. Glands are classified according to their mechanism of secretion.

GLANDULAR EPITHELIUM
1. Exocrine Glands Secrete their products via ducts onto the apical (or epithelial) surface. These glands are highly specialized epithelial cells and thus are classified as glandular epithelia. These are the types of glands to be studied today Endocrine Glands Release their products basally which allows secretion to go through the basal lamina, move into the underlying connective tissue, and enter the vascular system. Secretions can affect cells located far away from the endocrine glands. These glands lack a duct system and secrete into the blood or lymph. Paracrine Glands Similar to endocrine glands but secretions reach target cells by diffusion through the extracellular space to affect neighboring cells. Glandular Epithelia (exocrine glands) are classified based on the six different morphological criteria.

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1. Number of Secretory Cells

a. Unicellular Glands Mucus-secreting goblet cells. These goblet cells secrete mucus and are easily visualized in slides of the small intestine. In routine (H&E) preparations the cytoplasmic mucigen is not preserved (and therefore, not stained) giving the cells an empty appearance.

Goblet cells

b. Multicellular Glands - These glands have many cells. They may also form a secretory sheet of epithelial cells like the linings of the stomach and the uterus.

2. Location of the secretory cells in relation to the epithelium

a. Intraepithelial Glands Goblet cells b. Extraepithelial Glands all large exocrine glands

3. Nature of Secretion
a. Serous: A gland cell that produces a thin watery, protein-rich secretion. often called a zymogenic cell because its secretion is rich in enzymes or enzyme-precursors. Serous cells comprise acini. They have round, centrallylocated nuclei and large amounts of rough endoplasmic reticulum (rER), free ribosomes, prominent Golgi apparati, and numerous secretory granules. The basal cytoplasm is basophilic (due to rER and ribosomal content) while the apical cytoplasm is acidophilic (due to the secretory granules) in H&E stained preparations. The pancreas and parotid glands are entirely serous in composition.

Parotid gland

3. Nature of Secretion
b. Mucous: A gland cell that produces a viscous secretion, which has a lubricating or protective function. Small droplets of mucinogen nearly fill the cytoplasm above the nucleus. Mucinogen matures to become mucin. Mucin takes up water to become mucus. Mucous is the adjective for mucus. Mucous cells often comprise tubules. The nucleus of a mucous cell tends to be flat and located near the cell base. The cytoplasm is pale staining with H&E, but it stains bright pink with PAS due to the high carbohydrate content of the glycoprotein of the mucin. The secretion of a serous cell differs from that of a mucous cell in that it is rich in protein and low in carbohydrate. The sublingual gland contains predominantly mucous acini.

Sublingual gland

3. Nature of Secretion
c. Mixed (serous-mucous): These glands produce both serous and mucous secretions. Within these types of glands, serous demilunes, a collection of serous cells arranged like a half-moon and often capping the end of a mucous tubule, can be found. The relative frequency of the three types of secretions (serous, mucous, or mixed) allows the salivary glands to be distinguished from one another.

4. Mechanism of Secretion
a. Merocrine (Eccrine). No part of the cell is lost, only the secretory product is expelled by the process of exocytosis. It is the most common mode of secretion and is seen in serous, mucous, and mixed glands. b. Apocrine. Part of the apical cytoplasm of the cell is lost. Secretion is discharged within free, unbroken, membranebound vesicles. This is a rare type of secretion that is dependent on sex hormones and occurs primarily in apocrine sweat glands and active mammary gland. c. Holocrine. The entire secretory cell is lost (discharged within the lumen of the duct). This occurs primarily in sebaceous glands.

5. Shape of Secretory Units

a. Tubular - An elongated group of secretory cells with a lumen (which may be small or large) shaped like a tube.
b. Acinar or Alveolar - A small grape-like (acinus means grape) or sac-like (alveolus means sac) group of secretory cells arranged about a small lumen. These cells, as they are in other glandular units, are attached to a basement membrane. Some authors distinguish between acinus and alveolus, but others use them interchangeably. c. Tubulo-acinar Lumen of secretory units have both of the above listed shapes (seen in serous demilunes).

6. Arrangement (branched or not) and occurrence of Duct System

a. Simple glands - Glands of this type have an unbranched duct into which the cells secrete. Each secretory portion empties separately on an epithelial surface. b. Branched glands - Several secretory units empty into an unbranched excretory duct. c. Compound glands - These glands have a highly branched duct system. Secretory portions empty into an elaborate branched duct system, which, in turn, drain into larger ducts.

Types of exocrine glands in man

Types of exocrine glands in man

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Simple tubular glands - These glands are epithelial-lined tubules, which open on the apical surface. There are three types. Simple straight tubular glands (colon) The long crypts of Lieberkhn, located within the colon, are a great representation of tubular glands that runs a straight, unbranched course. Simple coiled tubular glands (scalp) Within the dermis, eccrine sweat glands are located. Myoepithelial cells, these smooth muscle cells, derived from ectoderm, reside between the basement membrane and the base of a secretory cell. These contractile cells are often elongated, spindle-shaped cells that are found in glands derived from ectoderm, e.g., the major salivary glands and sweat glands. Upon contraction, myoepithelial cells assist in the expulsion of secretion from the gland cells. Simple branched tubular glands. (Stomach) These simple branched tubular glands are found primarily in the stomach.

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2. Simple alveolar (acinar) glands The best representation of simple alveolar glands is the paraurethral glands located in the penile urethra. In humans, glands of this type have many acini emptying into a common duct, and this can be seen with the sebaceous glands that are emptying into the hair follicles located within the dermis of the scalp in this section. Sebaceous glands are also the best representation of secretion by holocrine mechanism.

3. Simple tubulo-alveolar glands Some of the secretory cells are arranged as acini (alveoli) and others are arranged as tubules. Examples of these include some of the smaller glands of the respiratory tract; minor salivary glands located within the oral cavity are other examples.

4. Compound tubular glands These glands have a highly branched duct system. The secretory cells at the ends of the ducts are in the form of tubules. The kidney and testes are examples of a compound tubular gland. A compound branched tubular gland that is mucus secreting can be seen beneath the oral surface of the soft palate in human.

5. Compound alveolar glands The duct system is similar to the compound tubular and compound tubulo-alveolar glands; however, compound alveolar glands differ from other compound glands in that the ducts end in alveoli with dilated sac-like lumina. The lactating mammary gland is a classic example of this type of gland as well as a gland that utilizes the apocrine mechanism of secretion. The pancreas, parotid gland, and lacrimal gland are examples compound alveolar serous glands.

6. Compound tubulo-alveolar glands These glands also have a highly branched duct system, but some of the ducts end as tubules and others end as alveoli. Two of the major salivary glands, the submandibular and the sublingual glands, are examples of compound tubulo-alveolar glands.