Glucose Homeostasis Flashcards
What is glucose homeostasis?
Maintaining constant level of glucose in the blood
Why is blood glucose regulation important
- Blood glucose is tightly regulated
- All cells in our body depends on glucose as a source of energy (ATP)
- Brain is dependent on glucose for energy
- Low blood glucose = neurological symptoms
What is the normal range for blood glucose?
Held in a tight range, wi a mM 3;9-5.5 mM
How do we maintain blood glucose?
Intercellular metabolic homeostasis - balance of fuels and different needs between organs and tissues (brain, RBC, muscle liver, adipose)
This balance of maintaining these fuels to meet the needs of the tissues is regulated by amount of nutrients in blood an metabolic hormones
Where does insulin promote glucose uptake?
Adipose, muscle
Cortisol and GH _____ glucose output by acting on the adipose and muscle
Inhibits
After a high carbohydrate meal, what happens to blood glucose, insulin and glucagon?
Rises
Rises
Suppressed/lowered
What type of hormones are insulin and hormones?
Where are they secreted from?
Are they active when synthesized?
Peptide hormones Pancreatic islets (insulin = beta cells, glucagon = alpha cells) No, they are sensitized as inactive pre-prohormones and are processed into active forms
What is the C-peptide?
What is it function?
- Peptide that comes from processing insulin we make in beta cells
- Marker of beta cell function bc only through insulin processing our bodies can make it
- A decrease in C-peptide is associated with loss of beta cell mass (type 1 diabetes)
- It increases with insulin resistance (where beta cells trying to make more insulin bc tissues aren’t responding)
If pancreatic beta cells are destroyed or impaired in their function, the C peptide levels in the blood be?
lower than normal
Elevated glucose _____ insulin exocytosis and _____ glucagon exocytosis
stimulates
inhibits
High protein meal (with high amino acid levels) ________ glucagon
potently stimulates
we will see a huge rise in glucagon, more than we would see in fasting
What does high protein meal do to insulin levels?
insulin levels increases but not as much as they do after a high carb meal because glucose is the most potent stimulator of insulin
glucose regulation of insulin release
- glucose enters b-cells through GLUT2 transporters
- ATP generated from catabolism closes Katp channels
- reduced K+ efflux (less K+ leaving cell) depolarizes membrane
- depolarization opens Cav (Ca2+ comes into the cell)
- Increase in cytosolic Ca2+ stimulates exocytosis of insulin containing secretory granules
What is one thing that cortisol does that other hormones do not?
stimulate mobilization of AA from muscle protein (stimulates break down of AA)
What type of cell surface receptor does insulin bind to?
tyrosine kinase receptor
- insulin binding activates the tyrosine kinase which phosphorylates intracellular proteins
Describe insulin signaling pathways
- insulin binds to cell surface receptor on the outside which causes formation of a dimer
- induces phosphorylation of tyrosine residues on the receptor itself
- The phosphotyrosine residues recruit and phosphorylate different adaptor proteins
- The adaptor proteins activate different pathways which:
- stimulate cell growth
- Increase synthesis of glycogen, lipid and protein
- Increase GLUT4 trafficking
The energy needed to make new glucose in the liver is provided primarily by oxidation of which fuel?
glucose, pyruvate, fatty acids
Fatty acids
Which of the following statements best describes glucagon?
A. It acts as an anabolic hormone promoting synthesis and storage of fuel
B. It acts on skeletal muscle, liver and adipose tissue
C. It acts primarily on liver and adipose tissue
D, Its concentration in the blood increases after a high carb meal
E. Its concentration increases in the blood when insulin levels increase
C
Why do we have effects of hypoglycemia in the brain?
Glucose transport
Blood brain barrier - endothelial cells lining blood vessels of the CNS
GLUT1 is found in the cells which allows glucose to come from blood vessels across the BBB
GLUT1 transporters - low kT of 1.5 (so that glucose transport into the brain is as fast as it can be)
If glucose gets below 1.5 mM = neurological symptoms of convulsions, coma
We know GLUT1 is responsible bc GLUT1 deficiency also = convulsion, coma
In uncontrolled diabetes, the actions of glucagon predominate. Besides glucose, what other fuel will be elevated in the blood of a patient with uncontrolled diabetes ?
Fatty acid
wo insulin, lipolysis is unopposed
both type 1 and type 2 uncontrolled diabetes can lead to
hyperglycemia
Type 1 - little to no insulin being produced and muscle cell cant get GLUT4 to plasma membrane
Type 2 - problems with signaling pathway. Insulin is there and binds, but muscle cant respond
What happen to diabetics whose blood glucose gets too high?
Can lead to coma, death.
When there is high glucose in the blood, water in the neurons leak by osmosis. This hinders the neurons from working as they should