Video Transcript
Fill in the blank. The primary function of glucagon is
to blank the levels of blood glucose. (A) Increase or (B) decrease.
To help us answer this question,
let’s recap what glucagon does in the body.
Glucagon is a hormone which is
secreted by the pancreas. The pancreas is part of the
endocrine, or hormonal, system in the body. The pancreas secretes multiple
hormones from its specialized endocrine cells, which are called the islets of
Langerhans. The 𝛼-cells in the islets of
Langerhans produce glucagon, while the 𝛽-cells produce insulin.
You may remember that insulin is
the hormone that brings down blood glucose levels. You may also be familiar with the
fact that a lack of insulin, or cells that do not respond properly to insulin,
results in a condition called diabetes. Sufferers of diabetes have problems
keeping their blood glucose levels under control.
But how does understanding the
action of insulin help us answer this question? Well, glucagon and insulin have
opposite effects on blood glucose levels. Glucagon is released in response to
low blood glucose levels. And it brings about responses in
the body that increase blood glucose levels. For example, glucagon stimulates
the breakdown of the storage carbohydrate glycogen in the liver. This releases more glucose into the
bloodstream. Glucagon also stimulates the
production of glucose from noncarbohydrate substrates, such as amino acids.
Let’s use this information and
revisit our answer options. We discussed how insulin is
responsible for decreasing blood glucose levels. And we know that insulin and
glucagon have opposite effects in the body. So, the correct answer to the
question is given in option (A). The primary function of glucagon is
to increase the levels of blood glucose.
