Targeting the Pancreatic α-Cell to Prevent Hypoglycemia in Type 1 Diabetes.

ABSTRACT: Life-threatening hypoglycemia is a limiting factor in the management of type 1 diabetes. People with diabetes are prone to develop hypoglycemia because they lose physiological mechanisms that prevent plasma glucose levels from falling. Among these so-called counterregulatory responses, secretion of glucagon from pancreatic α-cells is preeminent. Glucagon, a hormone secreted in response to a lowering in glucose concentration, counteracts a further drop in glycemia by promoting gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis in target tissues. In diabetes, however, α-cells do not respond appropriately to changes in glycemia and, thus, cannot mount a counterregulatory response. If the α-cell could be targeted therapeutically to restore its ability to prevent hypoglycemia, type 1 diabetes could be managed

SUBMITTER: Panzer JK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8660986 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature