Are glands in human made of muscles?

[Aafia]

Is it true that glands made of muscles and these are the muscles which squeezes out secretion from the glands?

 

[jim mcnamara]

No. Smooth and striated muscle tissue is not part of a gland. Secretions do not get squeezed out
of glands. Skunks secrete a horrible smelling fluid from glands near the anus. It is stored in pouches with a muscle wall around them. Contraction of the muscle wall squirts out the fluid. Skunks have pretty good aim BTW.

Example: In some contexts you could consider your stomach as secreting HCl or digestive enzymes. But it is not a gland. And it does not squeeze out secretions.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stomach

Where did you read this? It is really very hard to give decent answers to questions like yours without context.

What I mean: Please give us a sample of the text that led you to ask the question. Thanks.

 

[Aafia]

No. Smooth and striated muscle tissue is not part of a gland. Secretions do not get squeezed out
of glands. Skunks secrete a horrible smelling fluid from glands near the anus. It is stored in pouches with a muscle wall around them. Contraction of the muscle wall squirts out the fluid. Skunks have pretty good aim BTW.

Example: In some contexts you could consider your stomach as secreting HCl or digestive enzymes. But it is not a gland. And it does not squeeze out secretions.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stomach

Where did you read this? It is really very hard to give decent answers to questions like yours without context.

What I mean: Please give us a sample of the text that led you to ask the question. Thanks.

I have read it in my biology book grade 12th in Support and movement chapter. There it is written that " Muscles move eye lid , tongue, beat the heart, popel food through gut, discharge wastes, squeeze out secretion from the glands etc" I just wanted to know whether this is true, if yes then how? BTW this book is not available on any site.

 

[jim mcnamara]

Okay. The skunk example I gave is what they are referring to. Which is not a common thing. Glands (endocrine glands ) are not muscle tissue, they are a special kind of tissue derived from the nervous system . Exocrine glands which contribute to digestion also are not generally encased in muscle.

Sometimes the excretions are stored in secondary "containers" or bags that have muscle tissue. Not all glands are like this. Endocrine glands like the thyroid gland or the adrenal glands or the Islets of Langerhans in the pancreas, secrete directly into blood. The pancreas is thought of as an exocrine gland because most of the secretions go into the duodenum - digestive enzymes. But the Islets have a direct connection to the blood - for glucagon and insulin. In both cases for the pancreas, no muscle tissue is there.

Now you see why I was confused. The book in fact gives a somewhat odd take on glands, and I do not think they meant it like that. External to the gland - muscle contractions do move excretions along. Glands are not muscle tissue.

 

[Aafia]

Okay. The skunk example I gave is what they are referring to. Which is not a common thing. Glands (endocrine glands ) are not muscle tissue, they are a special kind of tissue derived from the nervous system or contribute to digestion. Exocrine glands also are not generally encased in muscle.

Sometimes the excretions are stored in secondary "containers" or bags that have muscle tissue. Not all glands are like this. Endocrine glands like the thyroid gland or the adrenal glands or the Islets of Langerhans in the pancreas, secrete directly into blood. The pancreas is thought of as an exocrine gland because most of the secretions go into the duodenum - digestive enzymes. But the Islets have a direct connection to the blood - for glucagon and insulin. In both cases for the pancreas, no muscle tissue is there.

Now you see why I was confused. The book in fact gives a somewhat odd take on glands, and I do not think they meant it like that. External to the gland - muscle contractions do move excretions along. Glands are not muscle tissue.

They might refer to lymphatic system. Because any secretion from cells does not happen directly to blood but it first secreted into tissue fluid and then into lymph vessels whose walls are muscular. These lymph vessels return the tissue fluid back to blood vessels along with secretion. Is that right?

 

[jim mcnamara]

Yes. In any case the statement in the book will cause confusion.

 

[Aafia]

Yes. In any case the statement in the book will cause confusion.

Yeah but I have to admit this as it is in my book. But there is not much detail of endocrine glands on any site that how they secrete hormones and what is the anatomy of these glands. Thank you for your help

 

[jim mcnamara]

adrenal gland and endocrine: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrenal_gland

 

[Fervent Freyja]

I have read it in my biology book grade 12th in Support and movement chapter. There it is written that " Muscles move eye lid , tongue, beat the heart, popel food through gut, discharge wastes, squeeze out secretion from the glands etc" I just wanted to know whether this is true, if yes then how? BTW this book is not available on any site.

Did you mean sphincter muscles?

 

[Aafia]

Did you mean sphincter muscles?

No this mentions about all types of muscles. Is there any sphincter in glands ?

 

[Fervent Freyja]

No. Some of the mechanisms you have asked about are caused by sphincter muscles, not glands...

 

[OCR]

But there is not much detail of endocrine glands on any site that how they secrete hormones and what is the anatomy of these glands.

Here you go...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gland
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epithelium#Glandular_tissue
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_glands_of_the_human_body