Autocrine

From greek krinein - to separate
German: autokrin

The term paracrine refers to a secretion mode of glandular cells, where their products are delivered to interstitium of their proximate environment before they act back to neighbouring cells and in some cases the secreting cell itself. Autocrine action is this latter special case of paracrine secretion.

Physiology

Tissue hormones and cytokines have autocrine effects, alike some classical hormones like insulin or TSH. In the consequence typical control patterns like ultrashort feedback are formed.

Related secretion modes are

• endocrine secretion
• paracrine secretion

Endocrinology is the science and clinical speciality of endocrine, and in a broader sense of paracrine and autocrine secretion.