Islet of Langerhans

The islets of Langerhans are the areas of the pancreas containing the endocrine cells responsible for producing the hormones that are secreted by the pancreas. The areas are named after Paul Langerhans, a German anatomist, in 1869.

There are 5 cell types in the Islets of Langerhans responsible for producing different hormones:

• Alpha cells are a form of endocrine cell that produces glucagon.
• Beta cells: produce insulin and amylin
• Delta cells: produce somatostatin
• PP cells: produce pancreatic polypeptide
• Epsilon cells: produce ghrelin