Physiology of Glucose: An Updated Review for Healthcare Professionals | ||
| Egyptian Journal of Chemistry | ||
| Volume 68, Issue 13, December 2025, Pages 1175-1184 PDF (1.98 M) | ||
| Document Type: Review Articles | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/ejchem.2025.405197.12065 | ||
| Authors | ||
| Maryam Helal Rasheed Alanazi1; Hamoud Ghayyadh Alanizi1; Amal Khalifah Almutairi1; Khaled Abdul Rahman Suleiman Al-Rashudi1; Khalid Saeed Oudah Alahmari2; Saad Abdulrazaq Ahmed Hayjan* 3; Meshal Mahdi Abdulrahman Alshehri2; Shatha Ahmed Alhefdhi2; Mohammed Ali Ibrahim Bakri1; Wafa Saadullah Saleh4; Anan Homoud Alhazmi3; Ali Abdullah Mohammed Alajlan3; Ahmad Asri Awad Alanazi3; Adel Lafi Alharbi3; Bander Nasser Alharbi3; Naif Abdulrahman Al-Azmi3; Ohud Ahmed Ahmed2; Hanadi Naji Alhajrasi1 | ||
| 1Ministry of Defense, Saudi Arabia | ||
| 2King Khalid University Hospital, Saudi Arabia | ||
| 3Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Saudi Arabia | ||
| 4National Guard Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz Hospital, Saudi Arabia | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Background: Glucose is the dominant carbohydrate fuel that supports cellular respiration, with availability sustained by coordinated digestion, intestinal absorption, hepatic processing, storage as glycogen, and regulated tissue uptake. Disruption of these processes produces clinically significant dysglycemia. Aim: To synthesize contemporary physiological concepts of glucose handling across molecular, cellular, and organ-system levels, and to link these mechanisms to diagnostic testing and clinical states relevant to healthcare practice. Methods: Narrative integration of established mechanisms of glucose metabolism (glycolysis, tricarboxylic acid cycle, oxidative phosphorylation), storage dynamics, transporter biology (SGLT/GLUT families), endocrine regulation (insulin and counter-regulatory hormones), and standard glycemic tests (FBG, RBG, OGTT), with pathophysiologic correlates. Results: Glucose flux is determined by (1) cellular pathways converting glucose to ATP under anaerobic and aerobic conditions; (2) storage–mobilization cycles governed by insulin–glucagon signaling; (3) tissue-specific transport via SGLTs and GLUT isoforms, notably insulin-responsive GLUT-4; and (4) organ axes—liver, pancreas, adrenal, thyroid, and anterior pituitary—that integrate nutrient and stress cues. Diagnostic assays (FBG, RBG, OGTT) characterize fasting and dynamic regulation, enabling detection of impaired tolerance and diabetes. Perturbations manifest as type 1 diabetes (autoimmune insulin deficiency), type 2 diabetes (insulin resistance with β-cell dysfunction), reactive and fasting hypoglycemia, and metabolic syndrome. Chronic hyperglycemia drives micro- and macrovascular complications; acute crises include hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state, while hypoglycemia endangers neurocognitive function. Conclusion: Glucose homeostasis emerges from tightly coupled transport, enzymatic, and endocrine controls. Understanding these interactions improves risk stratification, testing choices, and targeted interventions across the dysglycemia spectrum | ||
| Keywords | ||
| glucose physiology; glycogen; SGLT; GLUT-4; insulin; glucagon; gluconeogenesis | ||
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