islets of Langerhans

British  

/ ˈlæŋəˌhæns /

plural noun

1. small groups of endocrine cells in the pancreas that secrete the hormones insulin and glucagon

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islets of Langerhans Scientific  

/ ī′lĭtsəvläng′ər-häns′ /

1. Irregular clusters of endocrine cells that are scattered throughout the tissue of the pancreas. The islets of Langerhans contain cells that produce and secrete the hormones insulin and glucagon.

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Etymology

Origin of islets of Langerhans

C19: named after Paul Langerhans (1847–88), German physician

Example Sentences

Initially, the group examined the number of pancreatic β cells in the islets of Langerhans in a mouse model of pregnancy.

From Science Daily

Cells in islets of Langerhans in the pancreas secrete hormones such as insulin.Credit:

From Nature

He plans to use this technique with pancreatic cells to print islets of Langerhans, the insulin-producing parts of the pancreas, for transplantation into people with type 1 diabetes.

From Nature

Accounting for about 1 percent of all pancreatic cancers, pNET is a cancer of the endocrine cells, known clinically as the islets of Langerhans, which exist in small clusters throughout the pancreas.

From Scientific American

First described in 1869 by a then-young medical student, the eponymous islets of Langerhans in the pancreas, site of secretion of numerous hormones, defined the foundations of endocrinology.

From Science Magazine