apocrine sweat gland

(noun)

The type of sweat gland that is least responsible for thermoregulation and most responsible for body odor.

Related Terms

  • eccrine gland

Examples of apocrine sweat gland in the following topics:

  • Excretion and Absorption

    • Two types of sweat glands can be found in humans: eccrine glands and apocrine glands.
    • They produce a clear, odorless substance consisting primarily of water and NaCl (note that the odor from sweat is due to bacterial activity on the secretions of the apocrine glands).
    • Apocrine sweat glands are inactive until they are stimulated by hormonal changes in puberty.
    • Apocrine sweat glands are mainly thought to function as olfactory pheromones, chemicals important in attracting a potential mate.
    • The stimulus for the secretion of apocrine sweat glands is adrenaline, which is a hormone carried in the blood.
  • Sweat (Sudoriferous) Glands

    • Each sweat gland is made up of two portions:
    • The other kind of sweat glands are known as apocrine glands. 
    • The apocrine glands are found in places like the armpits, scrotum, anus, and labia majora. 
    • Unlike eccrine glands, the exact function of apocrine glands is unknown and debated. 
    • Cross sectional image of skin showing a sweat gland and a sebaceous gland.
  • Skin and Mucosae (Surface Barriers)

    • The epidermis also helps the skin regulate body temperature through sweat pores that connect to underlying sweat glands in the dermis.
    • It also contains the hair follicles, sweat glands, sebaceous glands, apocrine glands, lymphatic vessels, and blood vessels.
    • In the stomach it is simple columnar, and is organised into gastric pits and glands to secrete acids and pepsin.
  • Structure of the Skin: Dermis

    • The reticular layer also contains hair follicles, sweat glands, and sebaceous glands.
    • The sweat gland can either be apocrine, such as those found in the armpits and the groin area, or the eccrine glands, which are found all over the body.
    • The sebaceous glands found in the dermis secrete a substance called sebum that helps to lubricate and protect our skin from drying out.
  • Glandular Epithelia

    • There are two major classifications of glands: endocrine glands and exocrine glands.
    • Examples of exocrine glands include the sweat glands, salivary glands, mammary glands, the pancreas, and the liver.
    • An endocrine gland is its counterpart.
    • Examples of endocrine glands include the adrenal glands, located atop the kidneys and responsible for the secretion of certain hormones such as adrenaline, cortisol, and others.
    • The sebaceous glands are microscopic glands in the skin that secrete an oily/waxy matter, called sebum, to lubricate and waterproof the skin and hair of mammals.
  • Overview of the Endocrine System

    • The endocrine system is a system of ductless glands that secrete hormones, which are chemical messengers that act at a distance.
    • For example the pineal gland, located at the base of the brain, secretes the hormone melatonin, responsible for regulating sleep patterns.
    • The endocrine system is in contrast to the exocrine system which features ducted glands which secrete substances onto an epithelial surface for example a sweat gland.
    • The major endocrine glands include the pituitary, pineal, ovaries, testes, thyroid, hypothalamus and adrenal glands, additionally other tissues such as the kidney and liver also display secondary adrenal functions.
    • The endocrine systems found in the head and neck include the hypothalamus, pineal, pituitary and thyroid glands.
  • Development of the Integumentary System

    • The integument also includes appendages, primarily the sweat and sebaceous glands, hair, nails and arrectores pillorum (tiny muscles at the root of each hair that cause goose bumps).
    • Other regions of the ectoderm form into epithelial columns called cords which will become hair follocles and sebaceous and sweat glands.
    • At 20 weeks gestation, hair begins to grow from sebaceous glands, while sweat glands are formed from coiled cords.
    • Other cords begin to form mammary glands.
  • Impacted Cerumen

    • It is a mixture of viscous secretions from sebaceous glands and less-viscous ones from modified apocrine glands.
  • Development of the Endocrine System

    • The thyroid gland is one of the largest endocrine glands in the body.
    • This condition produces symptoms such as an abnormally high body temperature, profuse sweating, high blood pressure, loss of weight, irritability, and muscular pain and weakness.
    • Pineal gland 2.
    • Thyroid gland 4.
    • Adrenal gland 6.
  • Waste Management in Other Body Systems

    • Skin has sweat glands which secrete a fluid waste called perspiration.
    • Perspiration, or sweat, is a fluid consisting primarily of water, as well as various dissolved solid wastes, that is excreted by the sweat glands.
    • Most notable the sweat glands remove a bit of excess water and salts, and also serve the function of cooling the body during thermoregulation.
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