Liver or kidney: Who has the oar in the gluconeogenesis boat and when?
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review of physiology and mechanism without systematic methodology or primary human data.
PubMed 37547592 · doi:10.4239/wjd.v14.i7.1049
What was done
Narrative review of the literature comparing the regulation, physiological roles, and relative contributions of hepatic versus renal gluconeogenesis to systemic glucose homeostasis across varying physiological and pathological states.
What was found
The abstract reports no experimental numbers or effect sizes. It notes that while the liver is the primary bulk contributor to systemic glucose release due to its mass (over 1 kg) via both glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis, the kidney (around 100 g each) relies almost exclusively on gluconeogenesis in proximal tubule cells. The relative impact of each organ shifts dynamically based on postprandial state, acid-base status, hormonal signals, and substrate availability.
Why it matters
Emphasizes that endogenous glucose production is not exclusively a liver-driven process and highlights renal gluconeogenesis as a dynamic contributor to systemic glycemic regulation.
Limits
Narrative review design without systematic search or meta-analytic pooling. The abstract provides no primary human data, quantitative flux measurements, or sample sizes.
Cited by
- supports Kidney nephrons perform gluconeogenesis to synthesize glucose for the body.