Merocrine (eccrine) glands

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Merocrine (eccrine) glands.

Exocrine glands are glands that excrete their products onto an epithelial surface. This in contrast to endocrine glands that secrete products into the blood stream.

There are three types of exocrine glands:

1)merocrine (also called eccrine)

2)holocrine

3)apocrine

Merocrine cells are cells that secrete their products by exocytosis. The cell packages the products in vesicles . These vesicles can fuse with the cellular membrane to release its contents. This way the gland stays intact en does not lose cytoplasm or other cellular constituents.

##color(red)"Example:"## sweat glands.

Holocrine cells are cells that release their products by killing the cell. The cellular membrane ruptures and all the constituents are released.

##color(red)"Example:"## skin glands producing sebum.

Apocrine cells are cells that release their product by shedding part of the cell. The top of the cell that contains vesicles with the product is pinched off. The cell loses part of the cytoplasm as well.

##color(red)"Example:"## mammary glands.