The counter-regulatory hormone that raises blood glucose. Structurally it is Proglucagon-derived peptide (29 aa).

How strong is the evidence for Glucagon?

PeptideHormone grades Glucagon at the "Established" evidence tier — its mechanism and core effects are settled across the peer-reviewed literature. It is catalogued as an endogenous signal the body produces itself, and the tier is an editorial judgment about the public literature that can change as the science does.

What is the half-life of Glucagon?

The reported circulating half-life of Glucagon is ~3–6 min.

Glucagon

The counter-regulatory hormone that raises blood glucose.

EndogenousEstablished

Insulin's opposite number. Metabolism reads better as an argument the body keeps having with itself than as a switch.

Identity

Class: Proglucagon-derived peptide (29 aa)
Source: Pancreatic islet alpha cells
Receptor: Glucagon receptor (GCGR), a class B GPCR

Key properties

Evidence floorClinicalREF1CLIN1

Molecular weight

~3,482.8 Da

REF

Half-life (native)

~3–6 min

CLIN

Model dosing

Approximate values for the native hormone; engineered analogs are often deliberately larger and far longer-acting. Each figure carries its own provenance tier, and the floor is the weakest of them - the Standard.

Mechanism

Glucagon opposes insulin: in fasting or hypoglycemia it drives hepatic glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis to raise blood glucose. It also increases energy expenditure, which is why glucagon agonism is explored as a component of triple co-agonists.

Reference notes

Glucagon and GLP-1 are both cleaved from the same proglucagon precursor, tissue-specifically.
Its energy-expenditure effect is the rationale for including controlled glucagon agonism in some metabolic candidates.
Counter-regulation makes glucagon central to understanding hypoglycemia.

Common questions

What is Glucagon?: The counter-regulatory hormone that raises blood glucose. Structurally it is Proglucagon-derived peptide (29 aa).
How does Glucagon work?: Glucagon opposes insulin: in fasting or hypoglycemia it drives hepatic glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis to raise blood glucose. It also increases energy expenditure, which is why glucagon agonism is explored as a component of triple co-agonists.
How strong is the evidence for Glucagon?: PeptideHormone grades Glucagon at the "Established" evidence tier — its mechanism and core effects are settled across the peer-reviewed literature. It is catalogued as an endogenous signal the body produces itself, and the tier is an editorial judgment about the public literature that can change as the science does.
What is the half-life of Glucagon?: The reported circulating half-life of Glucagon is ~3–6 min.

Selected literature

Curated peer-reviewed reviews, sourced from PubMed. Selected for relevance, not exhaustive — open any entry on PubMed for the full record and its primary citations.

1.The New Biology and Pharmacology of Glucagon · Physiological reviews, 2017 · PMID 28275047
2.100 years of glucagon and 100 more · Diabetologia, 2023 · PMID 37367959
3.Glucagon and regulation of glucose metabolism · American journal of physiology. Endocrinology and metabolism, 2003 · PMID 12626323

External references

Glucagon in the public knowledge graph — the same entity resolved across the authoritative chemistry and protein databases.