Enteroendocrine cells

Enteroendocrine cells
Actions of the major digestive hormones secreted by enteroendocrine cells
Details
Identifiers
Latin	endocrinocyti gastroenteropancreatici
MeSH	Enteroendocrine+cells
Code	TH H3.04.02.0.00024 TH H3.08.01.0.00003
Anatomical terminology []

Enteroendocrine cells are specialized cells of the gastrointestinal tract and pancreas with endocrine function. They produce gastrointestinal hormones or peptides in response to various stimuli and release them into the bloodstream for systemic effect, diffuse them as local messengers, or transmit them to the enteric nervous system to activate nervous responses. Enteroendocrine cells of the intestine are the most numerous endocrine cells of the body. They constitute an enteric endocrine system as a subset of the endocrine system just as the enteric nervous system is a subset of the nervous system. In a sense they are known to act as chemoreceptors, initiating digestive actions and detecting harmful substances and initiating protective responses. Enteroendocrine cells are located in the stomach, in the intestine and in the pancreas.

The very discovery of hormones occurred during studies of how the digestive system regulates its activities, as explained at Secretin § Discovery.

Intestinal enteroendocrine cells are not clustered together but spread as single cells throughout the intestinal tract.

Hormones secreted include somatostatin, motilin, cholecystokinin, neurotensin, vasoactive intestinal peptide, and enteroglucagon.

K cells secrete gastric inhibitory peptide, an incretin, which also promotes triglyceride storage.