Metabolic Signal Research Center, Institute for Molecular and Cellular Regulation, Gunma University, Maebashi, Japan.
Endocrinol Metab (Seoul). 2024 Feb;39(1):33-39. doi: 10.3803/EnM.2024.1911. Epub 2024 Feb 22.
Glucagon has many functions, including the promotion of hepatic glucose production, fatty acid oxidation, thermogenesis, energy consumption, lipolysis, and myocardial contraction, as well as the suppression of lipogenesis, appetite, and gastrointestinal motility. However, it remains unclear which of these functions are physiological and which are pharmacological. Research on glucagon has lagged behind research on insulin because cross-reactivity with glucagon-related peptides in plasma has hindered the development of an accurate measurement system for glucagon. We recently developed a new glucagon sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) that is more specific and more sensitive to glucagon than the currently used measurement systems. The new sandwich ELISA is expected to contribute to personalized medicine for diabetes through its use in clinical examinations, the diagnosis of the pathophysiological condition of individual diabetes patients, and the choice of a treatment strategy. Efforts are continuing to develop glucagon/glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor dual agonists to improve obesity and fatty liver by enhancing glucagon's appetite-suppressing and lipolysis- and thermogenesis-promoting effects. Thus, glucagon is expected to be applied to new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies based on a more accurate understanding of its functions.
胰高血糖素具有多种功能，包括促进肝葡萄糖生成、脂肪酸氧化、产热、能量消耗、脂肪分解和心肌收缩，同时抑制脂肪生成、食欲和胃肠蠕动。然而，目前尚不清楚这些功能中哪些是生理性的，哪些是药理学的。由于与血浆中胰高血糖素相关肽的交叉反应，胰高血糖素的研究滞后于胰岛素的研究，这阻碍了对胰高血糖素进行准确测量系统的开发。我们最近开发了一种新的胰高血糖素夹心酶联免疫吸附测定法（ELISA），与目前使用的测量系统相比，该方法对胰高血糖素具有更高的特异性和灵敏度。新的夹心 ELISA 有望通过在临床检查中的应用、个体糖尿病患者病理生理状况的诊断以及治疗策略的选择，为糖尿病的个体化治疗做出贡献。目前正在努力开发胰高血糖素/胰高血糖素样肽-1 受体双重激动剂，通过增强胰高血糖素的抑制食欲、促进脂肪分解和产热作用来改善肥胖和脂肪肝。因此，预计胰高血糖素将基于对其功能的更准确理解，应用于新的诊断和治疗策略。
