Mechanism of Action
Glucagon Receptor Agonism
Last updated
The compound activates the glucagon receptor, found mainly on liver cells. Glucagon's classical role is to raise blood glucose by prompting the liver to release stored sugar. It also increases energy expenditure and affects how the liver handles fat. In this database the mechanism appears almost entirely as one arm of multi-receptor molecules rather than on its own.
Why it matters here
Seeing glucagon agonism listed on the same record as GLP-1 agonism is not a data error. The design intent is that the opposing glucose effects offset while other effects add, and whether that balance holds is a claim with its own rung.
What it is not
Glucagon agonism is not glucagon-like peptide-1 agonism, despite the names: glucagon raises blood glucose and GLP-1 lowers it. The shared word reflects shared ancestry in one precursor gene, not a shared effect.
Also called
- glucagon agonist
- gcgr agonism
GCGR is the standard abbreviation for the glucagon receptor, so GCGR agonism and glucagon agonist describe the same action.
Compounds carrying this term
None on file yet. This term is in the controlled vocabulary but no compound record currently uses it — which is a statement about our coverage, not about the term.