Known as the insu lin-producing tissue, the islets
of Langerhans do more than that. They are groups of specialized cells in the pancreas
that make and secrete hormones. Named after the German pathologist Paul Langerhans
(1847-1888), who discovered them in 1869, these cells sit in groups that Langerhans
likened to little islands in the pancreas. There are five types of cells in an islet:
alpha cells that make glucagon, which raises the level of glucose (sugar) in the
blood; beta cells that make insulin; delta cells that make somatostatin which inhibits
the release of numerous other hormones in the body; and PP cells and D1 cells, about
which little is known. Degeneration of the insulin-producing beta cells is the main
cause of type I (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus.
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