Blood glucose

• Qhat are the 3 sources of glucose?

  • Digestion of carbohydrates
  • Hydrolosis of glycogen (glycogenolysis)
  • Conversion of non-carbohydrates (gluconeogenesis)
• What is glycogenesis?

  • Glucose converts to glycogen
• What is glycogenolysis?

  • Hydrolosis of glycogen to glucose in the liver and muscles
• What is gluconeogenosis?

  • Synthesising glucose from non-carbohydrates like lipids and proteins 
• What is hyperglycaemia? 

  • When blood glucose is too high
• What is hypoglycaemia?

  • When blood glucose is too low
• Glucagon tip

  • Released when blood glucose-is-gone 
• Qhat are the 3 actions of insulin?

  • Attaches to liver cell protein Receptors and activates enzymes that convert glucose to glycogen by glycogenesis
  • Attaches to liver cell protein Receptors and signals vesicles to fuse to target cell membrane and add carrier proteins
  • Attaches to liver cell protein Receptors and changes tertiary structure of channel proteins to be more permeable
• What are the 2 actions of glucagon?

  • Activates adenylate cyclase protein which converts ATP to CAMP that activates protein kinase to hydrolyse glycogen to glucose (glycogenolysis)
  • Activates enzymes that convert non-carbohydrates to glucose like amino acids and lactate (gluconeogenesis)
• Explain the second messenger model of glucagon?

  • Glucagon binds to liver receptor proteins
  • Changes shape of adenyl cyclase enzyme
  • Adenyl cyclase converts ATP to cAMP
  • Activates protein kinase that catalysed the hydrolosis of glycogen to glucose
• Explain the second messenger model of adrenaline?

  • Adrenaline attaches to receptor proteins which Activates G protein
  • G protein converts ATP to cAMP
  • cAMP activates an enzyme that hydrolyses glycogen to glucose
  • Increases blood glucose
• What cells release insulin?

  • Beta cells in islets of langerhans in pancreas
• What cells release glucagon?

  • Alpha cells in islets of langerhans in pancreas
• What do adrenal glands do?

  • The endocrine gland that releases adrenaline
• Type 1 diabetes


  • Autoimmune condition
  • Unable to make insulin to lower blood glucose
  • T cells attack beta cells
• Type 2 diabetes

  • Body is unresponsive to insulin
  • Caused by sedentary life styles and old age
• Tyep 1 diabetes treatment

  • Insulin injection
  • Managing carbohydrate intake
• Type 2 diabetes treatment

  • Managing carbohydrate intake
  • Exercise
  • Diet
• Second messenger model

  • When one hormone initiated the release of another by a series of chemical reactions  
• What cells detects high blood glucose?

  • Beta cells in the islets of langerhans in the pancreas
• Adipose cells

  • specialized cells that store energy as fat (triglycerides)
• Islets of langerhan 

  • Regions inside the pancreas that contain alpha and beta cells
• Pancreas

  • The endocrine gland that controls blood glucose by releasing glucagon and insulin  
  • Contains islets of langerhans
  • Contains alpha and beta cells
• Beta cells

  • Detect high blood glucose (Hyperglycaemia)
  • Release insulin to lower blood glucose
  • Found inside islets of langerhans in pancreas
• Alpha cells


  • Detect low blood glucose (Hypoglycaemia)
  • Release glucagon to raise blood glucose
  • Found in islets of langerhans in pancreas
• Liver


  • Where insulin and glucagon attaches to receptor proteins
• What is the target cell of glucagon?

  • Liver
• What is the target cell of insulin?

  • Liver, adipose cells, skeletal muscle
• What is a target cell?

  • Where the receptor proteins binds to the hormone