Apocrine sweat gland

The apocrine gland is made up of a glomerulus of secretory tubules and an excretory duct that opens into a hair follicle; on occasion, an excretory duct opens to the skin surface next to the hair. The gland is large and spongy, located in the subcutaneous fat deep in the dermis, varying in diameter according to their location, and sometimes branching off into multiple ducts. The tubules are wrapped in myoepithelial cells, which are more developed than in their eccrine gland counterparts. ==Sweating==

In hoofed animals and marsupials, apocrine glands act as the main thermoregulator, secreting watery sweat. Being sensitive to adrenaline, apocrine sweat glands are involved in emotional sweating in humans (induced by anxiety, stress, fear, sexual stimulation, and pain). In a five-month-old human in utero, apocrine glands are distributed all over the body; after a few weeks, they exist in only restricted areas, Sweat and sebum are mixed in the hair follicle and arrive mixed at the epidermal surface. The apocrine sweat is cloudy, viscous, initially odorless, and at a pH of 6–7.5. It contains water, protein, carbohydrate waste material, and NaCl. The sweat only attains its characteristic odor upon being degraded by bacteria, which releases volatile odor molecules. More bacteria (especially corynebacteria) leads to stronger odor. The presence of axillary hair makes the odor even more pungent, as secretions, debris, keratin, and bacteria accumulate on the hairs. ==Prevalence==

Non-primate mammals usually have apocrine sweat glands over most of their bodies. Horses use them as a thermoregulatory device, as they are regulated by adrenaline and more widely distributed on equines than in other groups. ==See also==