BIOMOLECULES AND ENZYMES

Detailed explanation-1: -The plasma half-life of glucagon is 6-7 min. Glucagon is largely inactivated by the liver and kidney. A glucagon-degrading enzyme has been purified from the liver; it specifically cleaves off the N-terminal tri-peptide, H2N-His-Ser-Gln-COOH.

Detailed explanation-2: -When the patient is conscious and can swallow, give him or her some form of sugar. Glucagon is not effective for much longer than 1½ hours and is used only until the patient is able to swallow. Fruit juice, corn syrup, honey, and sugar cubes or table sugar (dissolved in water) all work quickly.

Detailed explanation-3: -A hormone’s half-life and duration of activity are limited and vary from hormone to hormone. For instance, the biological half-life of luteinizing hormone is 20 minutes, which is shorter than that of a follicle-stimulating hormone (three to four hours), and of human chorionic gonadotropin (24 hours).

Detailed explanation-4: -Native GLP-1 has a very short half-life (about 2 minutes) because of rapid degradation by the endogenous enzymes dipeptidyl-peptidase-IV (DPP-4)67) and neutral endopeptidase (NEP)68).

Detailed explanation-5: -Insulin has a short plasma half-life (4–6 min), as would be expected from the necessity to respond rapidly to changes in blood glucose (2, 7).