Pancreatic islets and transdifferentiate into beta cells in both healthy and diabetic human and mouse pancreatic islets, a possible future source for beta cell regeneration. Pancreatic islets The pancreatic islets or islets of Langerhans are the regions of the pancreas that contain its endocrine (hormone-producing) cells, discovered in 1869 by German pathological anatomist Paul Langerhans. The pancreatic islets constitute 1 to 2% of the pancreas volume and receive 10–15% of its blood flow. The pancreatic islets are arranged in density routes throughout the human pancreas, and are important in the metabolism of glucose. There are about 3 million islets distributed in the
Esophageal gland Esophageal gland The esophageal glands are glands that are part of the digestive system of various animals, including humans. Esophageal glands in humans are a part of a human digestive system. They are a small compound racemose exocrine glands of the mucous type. There are two types: Each opens upon the surface by a long excretory duct. Oesophageal gland is enlarged in large monoplacophoran species. Oesophageal gland or oesophageal pouch is a part of the digestive system of some gastropods. Oesophageal gland or pouch is a common feature in so-called basal gastropod clades, including Patelloidea, Vetigastropoda, Cocculiniformia, Neritimorpha and Neomphalina.