for Teachers for Schools for Enterprise
for Teachers for Schools for Enterprise
Copyright
Course Navigator
Prealbumin: Definition & Normal RangeNext Lesson 

Alveolar vs. Tubular Glands: Definition, Shapes & Examples

Chapter 4 /  Lesson 15   Transcript
Try it risk-free for 30 days

An error occurred trying to load this video.

Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support.

Coming up next: Prealbumin: Definition & Normal Range

You're on a roll. Keep up the good work!

Take Quiz Watch Next Lesson
 Replay
Your next lesson will play in 10 seconds
  • 0:00 Understanding Glands
  • 1:02 Gland Shapes
  • 1:43 Simple Glands
  • 3:41 Compound Glands
  • 5:09 Lesson Summary
Add to Add to Add to

Want to watch this again later?

Log in or sign up to add this lesson to a Custom Course.

Login or Sign up

Timeline
Autoplay
Autoplay

Recommended Lessons and Courses for You

Lesson Transcript
Instructor: Sarah Phenix
In this lesson, we will explore what a gland is and the function that it performs. We'll also look at the many varied shapes that the tubular and alveolar structures take.

Understanding Glands

I'm sure you probably don't think of glands in your everyday life. In fact, some of you may even be thinking, 'Glands, what are those? Aren't those the things that swell when you get sick?' You would be right but those aren't the only type of glands in your body, and they do so much more than just swell when you get sick! They're responsible for everything from excreting sweat and tears to hormones and digestive enzymes. And, just to keep things interesting, they come in a few different shapes.

So, what's a gland? Glands are a collection of cells or an organ responsible for secretions and excretions. Secretion refers to the act of a substance moving internally from one part of your body to another, like when the lining of your stomach secretes digestive juices. Excretion describes how a substance leaves the body, such as when tears excrete from your tear ducts or sweat excretes from your sweat glands. Okay, so, now that we know what a gland is, let's explore some tubular and alveolar glands.

Gland Shapes

gland shapes

The glands in our bodies come in three overarching shapes. Acinar, meaning 'grape,' are ducts that have a large, bulbous collection of secretory and excretory cells within a small lumen, or interior space. They look something like a cluster of grapes in the body, hence their name. Tubular glands have cells of a consistent shape that form a uniform tubular lumen, while alveolar glands have cells of a similarly uniform size within a large, sac-like lumen. Tubular and alveolar glands can be further subdivided by their shape into simple, or non-branching glands, and compound, or branching glands.

Simple Glands

Thankfully, the terminology for these glands is fairly self-explanatory, which should make them relatively easy to remember. Simple glands are exactly what you would think of in relation to shape: they have a simple straight duct, or opening, that connects the secretory and excretory cells, and where the exterior of the tissue is straight, without any complex branching systems. Tubular glands come in three simple shapes: simple tubular, simple coiled tubular, and simple branched tubular. Alveolar glands only have two simple shapes: simple alveolar and simple branched alveolar. Let's take a quick look at what these glands look like and where they might be found in the body.

simple glands

Simple tubular glands are one of more uncommon shapes that, in a cross section, simply look like a straight test tube submerged in the tissue. These glands are found in the lining of the intestines, where they secrete mucous to help the byproducts of digestion pass through the intestinal tract.

Simple coiled tubular glands are like coiled tubes. They basically look like a garden hose tangled or coiled around itself at one end. The sweat glands in your skin are simple coiled tubular glands.

Simple branched tubular glands have a straight duct opening with branched clusters of secretory glands. They include the gastric glands of your stomach that produce acid, as well as the mucous secreting glands lining your esophagus, tongue, and duodenum of your small intestines.

Simple alveolar glands have a simple duct and a sac-like base. They are found in the paraurethral and periruethral glands of the urethra.

Simple branched alveolar glands have a simple duct and branched alveolar sacs. The oil-producing sebaceous glands in your skin, as well as the mucous secreting glands in your stomach that protect your stomach lining from the highly acidic gastric juices, are both examples of simple branched alveolar glands.

To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account

Register to view this lesson

Are you a student or a teacher?

Unlock Your Education

See for yourself why 30 million people use Study.com

Become a Study.com member and start learning now.
Become a Member  Back
What teachers are saying about Study.com
Try it risk-free for 30 days
Description

Earning College Credit

Did you know… We have over 160 college courses that prepare you to earn credit by exam that is accepted by over 1,500 colleges and universities. You can test out of the first two years of college and save thousands off your degree. Anyone can earn credit-by-exam regardless of age or education level.

To learn more, visit our Earning Credit Page

Transferring credit to the school of your choice

Not sure what college you want to attend yet? Study.com has thousands of articles about every imaginable degree, area of study and career path that can help you find the school that's right for you.

Research Schools, Degrees & Careers

Get the unbiased info you need to find the right school.

Browse Articles By Category

Browse an area of study or degree level.

Recommended Articles
You are viewing lesson Lesson 15 in chapter 4 of the course:

 Back To Course

Human Anatomy & Physiology: Help and Review

20 chapters | 736 lessons

Ch 4. Basic Anatomy and Cell Biology: Help and...
Ch 5. Respiratory System: Help and...

Alveolar vs. Tubular Glands: Definition, Shapes & Examples Related Study Materials

Create an account to start this course today
Try it risk-free for 30 days!
Create An Account

Explore our library of over 75,000 lessons

Browse by subject
Support