Role of the endocrine system in maintaining glucose homeostasis in health and disease
DOI: 10.32364/2587-6821-2021-5-9-586-591
L.V. Nedosugova
I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Moscow,
Russian Federation
This paper highlights fundamental views on the mechanisms of maintaining glucose homeostasis as these mechanisms are explained in the lectures on diabetes. The authors discuss hormonal mechanisms of glycemic regulation after meal and fasting, biochemical processes of lipid, protein, and carbohydrate metabolism, and their relationships to maintain energy balance under normal conditions. The role of insulin as the important anabolic hormone stimulating ATP synthesis in a cell and endogenous energy accumulation in liver and muscle glycogen, and neutral lipids, the primary energy substrate, is described. In addition, insulin affects DNA and RNA synthesis via the pentose phosphate pathway and 6-ribulose 5-phosphate, allowing for endogenous protein synthesis in protein malnutrition. The effects of contrainsular hormones supplying the body with energy under starvation (i.e., glucagon and catecholamines, which stimulate glycogenolysis, and glucocorticoids that stimulate gluconeogenesi s, thereby maintaining normal blood glucose levels) are described in detail. Furthermore, the paper uncovers the mechanism of switching from carbohydrate metabolism to lipid metabolism mediated by somatotropin to preserve energy balance. Finally, the mechanisms of hyperglycemia in insulin deficiency and the appearance of clinical signs of diabetes and other endocrine disorders are addressed.
Keywords: carbohydrate metabolism, glucose, glucose transporters, glycolysis, glycogenolysis, gluconeogenesis, lipolysis.
For citation: Nedosugova L.V. Role of the endocrine system in maintaining glucose homeostasis in health and disease. Russian Medical Inquiry. 2021;5(9):586–591 (in Russ.). DOI: 10.32364/2587-6821-2021-5-9-586-591.
About the author:
Lyudmila V. Nedosugova — Dr. Sc. (Med.), Associate Professor, professor of the Department of Endocrinology of the N.V. Sklifosovskiy Institute of Clinical Medicine, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University); 8 Build. 2, Trubetskaya str., Moscow, 119991, Russian Federation; ORCID iD 0000-0002-6823-2487.
Contact information: Lyudmila V. Nedosugova, e-mail: profmila@mail.ru.
Financial Disclosure: the author has no a financial or property interest in any material or method mentioned.
There is no conflict of interests.
Received 22.07.2021.
Revised 16.08.2021.
Accepted 08.09.2021.
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