Serous glands secrete

serous fluid In physiology, serous fluid or serosal fluid (originating from the Medieval Latin word ''serosus'', from Latin ''serum'') is any of various body fluids resembling serum, that are typically pale yellow or transparent and of a benign nature. The fl ...

. They contain serous

acini An acinus (; plural, acini; adjective, acinar or acinous) refers to any cluster of cells that resembles a many-lobed " berry," such as a raspberry ('' acinus'' is Latin for "berry"). The berry-shaped termination of an exocrine gland, where t ...

, a grouping of serous cells that secrete

, isotonic with

blood plasma Blood plasma is a light amber-colored liquid component of blood in which blood cells are absent, but contains proteins and other constituents of whole blood in suspension. It makes up about 55% of the body's total blood volume. It is the intr ...

, that contains

enzyme Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as products ...

s such as

alpha-amylase α-Amylase is an enzyme (EC 3.2.1.1; systematic name 4-α-D-glucan glucanohydrolase) that hydrolyses α bonds of large, α-linked polysaccharides, such as starch and glycogen, yielding shorter chains thereof, dextrins, and maltose: :Endohyd ...

. Serous glands are most common in the

parotid gland The parotid gland is a major salivary gland in many animals. In humans, the two parotid glands are present on either side of the mouth and in front of both ears. They are the largest of the salivary glands. Each parotid is wrapped around the ma ...

and

lacrimal gland The lacrimal glands are paired exocrine glands, one for each eye, found in most terrestrial vertebrates and some marine mammals, that secrete the aqueous layer of the tear film. In humans, they are situated in the upper lateral region of each or ...

but are also present in the submandibular gland and, to a far lesser extent, the sublingual gland.

References

External links

* - "Tongue: Mucous and Serous Glands" * - "Lingual Glands" * - "Epithelial Tissue, Surface Specializations, and Glands multicellular; pure serous gland"
Overview at siumed.edu
Glands {{anatomy-stub