is·lets of Lang·er·hans

(ī′lĭts; läng′ər-häns′)

pl.n.

Irregular clusters of endocrine cells scattered throughout the tissue of the pancreas that secrete insulin and glucagon. Also called islands of Langerhans.

[After Paul Langerhans (1847-1888), German pathologist.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

islets of Langerhans

(ˈlæŋəˌhæns) or

islands of Langerhans

pl n

(Anatomy) small groups of endocrine cells in the pancreas that secrete the hormones insulin and glucagon

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

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

is·lets of Lang·er·hans

(ī′lĭts əv läng′ər-häns′)

Irregular clusters of endocrine cells that are scattered throughout the tissue of the pancreas and secrete insulin.

The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

islets of Langerhans - cell clusters in the pancreas that form the endocrine part of that organ; secrete insulin and other hormones

islands of Langerhans, isles of Langerhans

ductless gland, endocrine gland, endocrine - any of the glands of the endocrine system that secrete hormones directly into the bloodstream

pancreas - a large elongated exocrine gland located behind the stomach; secretes pancreatic juice and insulin

Mentioned in

References in periodicals archive

Insulin arises from the pancreatic islets of Langerhans, themselves discovered in 1869 by medical student Paul Langerhans. (3) In biomedical research, Alan Hodgkin, (4) formerly professor of biophysics at the University of Cambridge, won the Nobel Prize in 1972 for work on nerve transmission that he began as an undergraduate.

Awareness on medical research among undergraduates in a tertiary teaching hospital: a cross sectional questionnaire based study

They are named after Paul Langerhans (1847-1888), a German pathologist, physiologist, and biologist who discovered these cells in the skin and postulated that they were possibly nerve endings.

Pulmonary Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis: An Update From the Pathologists' Perspective

Dendritic cells were first discovered and described in the 19th century by Paul Langerhans, who also discovered the "Isles of Langerhans" that produce insulin in the pancreas.

War on cancer