Research
Hormonal
Glucagon receptor blockade or suppression prevents the catabolic consequences of insulin deficiency (hyperglycemia, ketoacidosis) in animal models.
In animal models, preventing glucagon from acting stops diabetes even without insulin. This suggests that therapies blocking glucagon could potentially manage blood sugar without the need for high-dose insulin, reducing side effects.
StrongSupportsVERY_HIGH confidence
In these Gcgr–/– mice... total β cell destruction did not result in any of the diabetic abnormalities thought to be caused by insulin deficiency.
Why this rating
Definitive proof from knockout mice where beta cells were destroyed but mice remained normoglycemic.
Source
Glucagonocentric restructuring of diabetes: a pathophysiologic and therapeutic makeover
Roger H. Unger et al. · Journal of Clinical Investigation · 2012
DOI 10.1172/jci60016
narrative_reviewCited 667×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- In Type 1 Diabetes, hyperglucagonemia (excess glucagon) is the primary cause of hyperglycemia and catabolic symptoms, rather than insulin deficiency alone.Good
- Somatostatin infusion suppresses hyperglucagonemia and markedly reduces hyperglycemia in Type 1 Diabetic humans, even when insulin is reduced or discontinued.Good
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