Hormone
Production
Function
Insulin
Beta (ß) cells
- Acts to decrease plasma glucose levels (hypoglycaemic hormone)
- Promotes uptake especially into liver, muscles, and adipose tissue.
Glucagon
Alpha (α) cells
- Acts to increase plasma glucose levels (hyperglycaemic hormone)
- Promote hepatic glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis
Somatostatin
Delta (δ) cells
- Inhibits the secretion of multiple hormones
- These include: growth hormone, insulin, glucagon, gastrin, vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), and thyroid-stimulating hormone
Ghrelin
Epsilon (E) cells
- Suppresses insulin via paracrine interaction with beta cells
- Stimulates appetite
- Stimulates growth hormone secretion
Amylin
Beta (ß) cells - co-secreted with insulin
- Suppresses glucagon via paracrine interaction with alpha cells
- Slows gastric emptying which delays absorption of glucose from the small intestine into the circulation
- Stimulates the satiety centre of the brain
Pancreatic Polypeptide
PP cells -previously upsilon (F) cells
- Function unknown
- Primarily used as marker for other pancreatic endocrine tumours