sweat gland

sweat gland
one of the minute, coiled, tubular glands of the skin that secrete sweat.
[1835-45]

* * *

Either of two types of perspiration glands in the skin.

Eccrine sweat glands, controlled by the sympathetic nervous system, use evaporation to cool the skin by secreting water when body temperature rises. Apocrine sweat glands, usually associated with hair follicles, are concentrated in the underarms and genital region. Starting at puberty, hormones stimulate them to continuously secrete a fatty sweat. Certain specialized glands, such as mammary glands and wax-secreting glands of the ear canal, probably developed from this type of gland.

* * *

      either of two types of secretory skin glands occurring only in mammals. The eccrine sweat gland, which is controlled by the sympathetic nervous system, regulates body temperature. When internal temperature rises, the eccrine glands secrete water to the skin surface, where heat is removed by evaporation. If eccrine glands are active over most of the body (as in horses, bears, and humans), they are major thermoregulatory devices. In other animals (dogs, cats, cattle, and sheep), they are active only on the pads of the paws or along the lip margins and may be entirely absent over the rest of the body; such animals often depend on panting for effective temperature control. Smaller mammals, such as rodents, cannot endure dehydration and hence possess no eccrine glands at all.

      Apocrine sweat glands, which are usually associated with hair follicles, continuously secrete a fatty sweat into the gland tubule. Emotional stress causes the tubule wall to contract, expelling the fatty secretion to the skin, where local bacteria break it down into odorous fatty acids. In human beings, apocrine glands are concentrated in the underarm and in genital regions; the glands are inactive until they are stimulated by hormonal changes in puberty. In other mammals, apocrine glands are more numerous. Certain specialized glands, such as mammary glands, wax-secreting glands of the ear canal, and many mammalian scent glands, probably developed from modified apocrine glands.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • sweat gland — n a small organ under your skin that produces sweat …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • sweat gland — sweat ,gland noun count an organ in your body that produces SWEAT …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • sweat gland — sweat′ gland n. anat. one of the minute, coiled, tubular glands of the skin that secrete sweat • Etymology: 1835–45 …   From formal English to slang

  • sweat gland — n. any of the very small, coiled, tubular glands in the subcutaneous tissue that secrete sweat: see SKIN …   English World dictionary

  • Sweat gland — Infobox Anatomy Name = PAGENAME Latin = GraySubject = GrayPage = Caption2 = Cross section of all skin layers. Sweat gland is labeled at center. Precursor = System = Artery = Vein = Nerve = Lymph = MeshName = Sweat+glands MeshNumber = DorlandsPre …   Wikipedia

  • sweat gland — noun any of the glands in the skin that secrete perspiration (Freq. 1) • Syn: ↑sudoriferous gland • Hypernyms: ↑exocrine gland, ↑exocrine, ↑duct gland • Hyponyms: ↑apoc …   Useful english dictionary

  • Sweat gland — The sweat (sudoriferous) glands are small tubular structures situated within and under the skin (in the subcutaneous tissue). They discharge sweat by tiny openings in the surface of the skin. The sweat is a transparent colorless acidic fluid with …   Medical dictionary

  • sweat gland — UK / US noun [countable] Word forms sweat gland : singular sweat gland plural sweat glands an organ in your body that produces sweat …   English dictionary

  • Sweat gland disease — ICDO = OMIM = MedlinePlus = eMedicineSubj = eMedicineTopic = MeshID = D013543 Sweat gland diseases can be divided into two groups: those affecting the eccrine sweat glands, and those affecting the apocrine sweat glands.External links*… …   Wikipedia

  • sweat gland abscess — an abscess in a sweat gland, such as occurs in hidradenitis suppurativa; called also sudoriparous a …   Medical dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”