Exocrine Gland

Exocrine Gland
Unicellular
Multicellular
According to shape of gland
Tubular
Alveolar
Tubulo-alveolar
According to duct, branched or unbranched
Simple
Complex
According to manner of secretion
Merocrine
Apocrine
Holocrine
According to development
Ectoderm
Mesoderm
Endoderm
 Morphology of Gland

Duodenum pancreas
submandibular

Secretory component & duct

Duct system
Branched (compound gland)
Unbranched (simple gland).
Secretory component
Tubular or acinar (roughly spherical)
 Merocrine gland

Merocrine-vesicle membranes fuse with plasma membrane

to release their contents to exterior
Merocrine or eccrine – by exocytosis
Synthesize and secrete small amounts of protein
-Milk protein, casein, by merocrine secretion
-Example- simple sweat glands of skin
-Were once classified as eccrine glands
 Apocrine glands

Apical cytoplasm- pinched off with contained secretions

Stored in cell as membrane-free droplets
Apocrine – by membrane budding (loss of cytoplasm)
Example
1.Secretion of milk fat by mammary gland cells
2.sweat glands in axilla
3.Anogenital regions of body
 Holocrine Gland

Cells first fill with secretory

products
Entire cell disintegrates to liberate
Holocrine – by membrane rupture
Example
Skin -Sebaceous glands
Eyelid - meibomian glands 
Exocrine glands are either unicellular or multicellular
Stomach – lining simple
Simple Unbranched tubular glands

Simple unbranched tubular glands exist in walls of

many of hollow viscera
Entirely of secretory cells
May have a blind-ending secretory portion
Secretion- lead to non-secretory duct to surface
Example –
Small intestine
Uterus
Glands with ducts may be branched (compound)
Ductal trees
Tubular or mixed tubulo-acinar
Exocrine pancreas
 submandibular
duodenum pancreas
Classificatin based on secretory products
Mucus -sublingual salivary gland
Serous-parotid salivary gland
Mixed -submandibular gland
Classification on Development
Ectoderm
Mammary gland
Lacrimal gland
Salivary gland
Hypophysis
Chromaffin organs
Mesoderm
Suprarenal cortex
Gonads
Kidney
Spleen

Endoderm
Thyroid
Parathyroid
Thymus
Liver
Pancreas
Lining glands of all gland OF GIT
Applied anatomy
Adenocarcinoma
Tumours arising in glandular
epithelium
Tendency to form gland
Stomach, colon, uterine
endometrium and endocervix
Thyroid , breast, liver, prostate and
pancreas
Thank You