Glucagon is a peptide hormone that plays a major role in maintaining blood glucose levels. It acts primarily on the liver to stimulate glycogen breakdown and glucose production, thereby increasing blood glucose concentrations.
Pharmaceutical Glucagon is produced using recombinant or synthetic peptide manufacturing technologies and is used in emergency treatment of severe hypoglycemia as well as in certain diagnostic procedures.
Glucagon is a specialized peptide pharmaceutical API requiring controlled manufacturing, purification and advanced analytical characterization. Unlike conventional small-molecule APIs, glucagon quality control requires peptide identity, purity, potency, aggregation and related-substance testing.
CAS Number: 16941-32-5
Molecular Formula: C153H225N43O49S
Molecular Weight: 3482.78 g/mol
Amino Acids: 29
Drug Class: Pancreatic Hormone
Pharmacological Class: Glucose-Raising Agent
Therapeutic Class: Hypoglycemic Emergency Treatment
Therapeutic Area: Endocrinology / Emergency Medicine
Glucagon binds to glucagon receptors, which are G-protein-coupled receptors primarily expressed in the liver. Receptor activation increases intracellular cyclic AMP and activates pathways that promote glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis, resulting in an increase in blood glucose.
Glucagon is used for the emergency treatment of severe hypoglycemia when oral carbohydrate administration is not possible or appropriate. It is also used in certain diagnostic procedures to temporarily inhibit gastrointestinal motility.
Glucagon provides an important rescue mechanism for patients experiencing severe hypoglycemia, particularly when the individual is unable to safely consume glucose orally. It increases blood glucose by mobilizing hepatic glucose stores.
Glucagon is a 29-amino-acid peptide hormone with a molecular weight of approximately 3.48 kDa. It is a peptide rather than a conventional small-molecule API and therefore requires specialized analytical techniques for characterization.
Glucagon API quality evaluation may include:
Glucagon should be stored under controlled pharmaceutical conditions and protected from excessive heat, moisture and light. Exact storage requirements depend on whether the material is supplied as a bulk peptide, lyophilized drug substance or finished pharmaceutical product.
Glucagon is an established peptide therapeutic and remains relevant to research involving glucose regulation, pancreatic hormones, metabolic pathways and emergency treatment of hypoglycemia.
Glucagon is a 29-amino-acid peptide hormone with CAS Number 16941-32-5, molecular formula C153H225N43O49S, and molecular weight 3482.78 g/mol. It acts primarily through hepatic glucagon receptors to increase blood glucose and is used therapeutically for severe hypoglycemia and selected diagnostic applications.
| Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | White to off-white crystalline powder |
| Identification | IR & HPLC compliant |
| Assay (HPLC) | 95.0% – 105.0% |
| Loss on Drying | NMT 1.0% |
| Residue on Ignition | NMT 0.5% |
| Heavy Metals | NMT 10 ppm |
| pH (1% Solution) | 2.5 – 4.5 |
| Individual Impurity | NMT 0.5% |
| Total Impurities | NMT 2.0% |
| Water Content | NMT 2.0% |