Development of the endocrine system alpha cells. The insulin concentration within the fetal pancreas is 3.6 pmol/g at seven to ten weeks, which rises to 30 pmol/g at 16–25 weeks of gestation. Near term, the insulin concentration increases to 93 pmol/g. The endocrine cells have dispersed throughout the body within 10 weeks. At 31 weeks of development, the islets of Langerhans have differentiated. While the fetal pancreas has functional beta cells by 14 to 24 weeks of gestation, the amount of insulin that is released into the bloodstream is relatively low. In a study of pregnant women carrying fetuses in the mid-gestation and near term
Insulin signal transduction pathway region called Islets of Langerhans. In the islets of Langerhans, there are beta-cells, which are responsible for production and storage of insulin. Insulin is secreted as a response mechanism for counteracting the increasing excess amounts of glucose in the blood. Glucose in the body increases after food consumption. This is primarily due to carbohydrate intake, but to a much lesser degree protein intake ()(). Depending on the tissue type, the glucose enters the cell through facilitated or passive diffusion. In muscle and adipose tissue, glucose enters through GLUT 4 receptors via facilitated diffusion (). In brain, kidney and retina, glucose