Glucagon Be-Gone: A Cure for Type 1 Diabetes?

Cells within the pancreas produce the hormones insulin and glucagon, which have opposing actions on blood glucose. Insulin decreases blood glucose levels by promoting the utilization and storage of glucose while simultaneously repressing glucagon secretion. Glucagon opposes these actions, stimulating glucose production by the liver. In type 1 diabetes, where the insulin-producing cells are destroyed, glucagon levels remain perpetually elevated. The increase in glucagon is an important-but underappreciated-contributor to diabetes and its complications. University of Utah Health investigator William Holland, PhD, and colleagues found that blocking glucagon action in mice restored levels of both insulin and glucose, effectively curing type 1 diabetes. Their groundbreaking work, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveals that suppressing glucagon production or action may be a viable means of treating type 1 diabetes.