GLUCAGON-LIKE ACTIVITY EXTRACTABLE FROM THE GASTRO-INTESTINAL TRACT OF MAN AND OTHER ANIMALS

Abstract

SUMMARY Acid-ethanol extracts of different regions of the gut in man, dog, rabbit and pig were assayed for glucagon-like activity by the glycogenolytic response of liver slices. Glucagon-like activity was present in the extracts of human stomach, including the pyloric region, and in the duodenum, jejunum and ileum. No activity was found in liver, spleen and blood. The stomach of the dog yielded higher activities than that of the human. Pig tissues contained little activity. The properties of the active substance in the human gastro-intestinal tract were those of a peptide or protein in that it was non-diffusible during dialysis, precipitated by ammonium sulphate and destroyed by chymotrypsin. Glucagon behaves in a similar way in these respects.