Figure 3. Glucagon is essential in diabetic hyperglycemia.

(A) Perfusion of a severely diabetic, insulin-deprived dog with somatostatin. The hyperglycemia and hyperglucagonemia are promptly suppressed by the somastotatin infusion, and both reappear when it is stopped. Figure adapted with permission from Science (58). (B) A similar experiment in type 1 diabetic humans receiving a suboptimal insulin dose administered by intravenous infusion (60). Their hyperglucagonemia, hyperglycemia, and glycosuria are suppressed soon after beginning an infusion of somastotatin, confirming earlier work by Gerich et al. (59). When hyperglucagonemia was restored by infusion of recombinant glucagon, hyperglycemia and glycosuria reappeared. Figure adapted with permission from New England Journal of Medicine (60).