islets of Langerhans

/ ˈlæŋəˌhæns /

plural noun

1. small groups of endocrine cells in the pancreas that secrete the hormones insulin and glucagon

islets of Langerhans

/ ī′lĭtsəvläng′ər-häns′ /

1. Irregular clusters of endocrine cells that are scattered throughout the tissue of the pancreas. The islets of Langerhans contain cells that produce and secrete the hormones insulin and glucagon.

Word History and Origins

Origin of islets of Langerhans¹

C19: named after Paul Langerhans (1847–88), German physician

Example Sentences

Initially, the group examined the number of pancreatic β cells in the islets of Langerhans in a mouse model of pregnancy.

From Science Daily

Cells in islets of Langerhans in the pancreas secrete hormones such as insulin.Credit:

From Nature

He plans to use this technique with pancreatic cells to print islets of Langerhans, the insulin-producing parts of the pancreas, for transplantation into people with type 1 diabetes.

From Nature

Accounting for about 1 percent of all pancreatic cancers, pNET is a cancer of the endocrine cells, known clinically as the islets of Langerhans, which exist in small clusters throughout the pancreas.

From Scientific American

First described in 1869 by a then-young medical student, the eponymous islets of Langerhans in the pancreas, site of secretion of numerous hormones, defined the foundations of endocrinology.

From Science Magazine