The Role of the Liver in Maintaining Glucose Homeostasis

This text discusses the role of the liver in supplying glucose to the tissues of the body during periods of food deprivation and in storing glucose during periods of carbohydrate ingestion. The techniques used to assess hepatic glucose production and utilization in vivo are presented. The text also evaluates the ability of various hormones, neurotransmitters and substrates to regulate hepatic glucose uptake or output, and examines the function of these signals in regulating glucose metabolism by the liver during fasting, pregnancy, exercise, sepsis, hypoglycaemia and diabetes.