Blood Glucose Regulation: Glucagon in a Snap! Unlock the full A-level Biology course at [ Ссылка ] created by Adam Tildesley, Biology expert at SnapRevise and graduate of Cambridge University.
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The key points covered of this video include:
1. Introduction to Glucagon
2. How Glucagon Increases Blood Glucose
Introduction to Glucagon
Glucagon is a hormone that is released from a-cells in the pancreas in response to low glucose concentration. Once released, glucagon travels in the blood to liver and muscle cells which have receptors for glucagon. These cells then act to increase the concentration of glucose in the blood. After blood glucose concentration has been increased, glucagon stops being released. Together with insulin, glucagon allows the body to regulate the glucose concentration if it gets too high or too low.
How Glucagon Increases Blood Glucose
Glucagon increases the blood glucose concentration by making glucose out of other molecules. One way of doing this is to break down glycogen to make glucose molecules. Another is to convert glycerol (from lipids) and amino acids into glucose.
Summary
Glucagon is released from a-cells in the pancreas in response to high blood glucose
Glucagon binds to a receptor which causes enzymes inside the cell to increase glucose concentration
This happens through converting glycogen, lipids, and amino acids into glucose
Glucagon also causes less glucose to be used up in respiration in favour of fatty acids
