what is pancreatic islet
The pancreatic islets or islets of Langerhans are the regions of the pancreas that contain its endocrine (i.e., hormone-producing) cells. Discovered in 1869 by German pathological anatomist Paul Langerhans, the pancreatic islets constitute approximately 1-2% of the pancreas's mass and receive 10-15% of its blood flow.ormones produced in the pancreatic islets are secreted directly into the blood flow by (at least) five types of cells. In rat islets, endocrine cell subsets are distributed as follows: 1  Alpha cells producing glucagon (15â20% of total islet cells). 2  Beta cells producing insulin and amylin (65â80%).