Menu

Excretory ducts of the pancreas (400X)

Microimage
Excretory ducts of the pancreas. Image copyright: University of Oslo, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. (Tissue stain: H+E).

Why do you think the ducts of the pancreatic exocrine glands have such a thick wall?

As you might know by now, the pancreas secretes digestive enzymes. Some of these are present as proenzymes to prevent them from being activated before they reach the intestinal lumen. Nevertheless, it may appear that the pancreas itself is protected against the contents of the exit passages, in that the wall in these is extra thick, so that the pancreas does not risk digesting itself.

Identify:

  • postcapillary venules
  • intercalated duct with it's cubic cells lining the lumen
  • intralobular duct with it's thic wall of connective tissue
Published December 17th 2018, updated October 9th 2021.