glucagon

1 7.2

A hormone made by the pancreas that raises blood sugar when it is low

noun
/ˈɡluːkəˌɡɒn/

Specialized

: glucagón

Suppress pancreatic release of glucagon in response to eating, which helps stop the liver from overproducing glucose.
glucagon injection
glucagon receptor
insulin and glucagon

High insulin prevents that from happening and Glucagon facilitates that process.

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Examples

In emergencies, patients may need to receive glucagon to quickly raise their blood sugar levels.
A glucagon injection will decrease high blood glucose in less than 10 minutes.

Academic text (2012)
They'll give you a shot of glucagon.

Afterwards (2008)
Glucagon should be readily accessible, especially when there is a high risk of severe hypoglycemia.

Academic text (2012)
Doctors often prescribe glucagon for diabetic patients who experience severe hypoglycemia.
If a diabetic patient becomes unconscious, administering glucagon can help restore their blood sugar levels.

Antonyms

insulin

Specialized

127 3.7

A substance made by the pancreas that controls blood sugar

Surface Forms

glucagon singular

glucagons plural

Morphology

glucagon = glucose (semi-transparent) = gluc + agon

The element 'gluc-' clearly relates to 'glucose', but the suffix '-agon' is a technical biomedical agent-forming element unfamiliar to general learners.

Etymology

Glucagon comes from gluca- from 'glucose', meaning 'sugar', and -agon a Greek part meaning 'to act' or 'to drive'. So glucagon is the hormone that acts to raise or 'drive up' the level of sugar in the blood.