Effect of glucagon on plasma free fatty acids of normal and pancreatectomized dogs

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Abstract
Glucagon, in doses as small as 1 [mu]g/kg, regularly induced depression of the plasma free fatty acid (FFA) concentrations of normal dogs. With doses of 1-5 [mu]g/kg, there was not a significant correlation between the degree of fall in FFA and of rise in blood glucose concentration. A rebound of plasma FFA to base-line values was observed during the 3rd half-hour after administration of large doses of glucagon (50 [mu]g/kg), but not after injection of 1 -5 [mu]g/kg. In pancreatectomized dogs, glucagon induced no decline or only a slight and delayed decrease of plasma FFA, although prolonged elevations of the blood glucose concentration resulted. In contrast, doses of insulin as small as 0.02 U/kg induced declines of more than 50% in FFA concentrations of these animals. It is concluded that: a) insulin plays a far more important role than the blood glucose concentration per se in the regulation of fatty acid metabolism, b) the depressant effect of glucagon on circulating FFA levels of normal animals results principally from stimulation of endogenous insulin secreion, which may occur even when hyperglycemia is not induced, and c) rebound increases in plasma FFA after large doses of glucagon may be due to stimulation of catecholamine secretion induced by high concentration of this agent.

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