Follow us at: https://plus.google.com/+tutorvista/ Check us out at http://www.tutorvista.com/content/biology/biology-iv/chemical-coordination-animals/endocrine-glands.php Exocrine Glands Exocrine glands are glands that secrete their products (excluding hormones and other chemical messengers) into ducts (duct glands) which lead directly into the external environment. They are the counterparts to endocrine glands, which secrete their products (hormones) directly into the bloodstream (ductless glands) or release hormones (paracrines) that affect only target cells nearby the release site. Exocrine glands contain a glandular portion and a duct portion, the structures of which can be used to classify the gland. •The duct portion may be branched (called compound) or unbranched (called simple). •The glandular portion may be tubular, acinar, or may be a mix of the two (called tubuloacinar). If the glandular portion branches, then the gland is called a branched gland. Endocrine glands are glands of the endocrine system that secrete their products, hormones, directly into the blood rather than through a duct. The main endocrine glands include the pituitary gland, pancreas, ovaries, testes, thyroid gland, and adrenal glands. The hypothalamus is a neuroendocrine organ. Other organs which are not so well known for their endocrine activity include the stomach, which produces such hormones as ghrelin. Local chemical messengers, not generally considered part of the endocrine system, include autocrines, which act on the cells that secrete them, and paracrines, which act on a different cell type near by. Please like our facebook page http://www.facebook.com/tutorvista