glucagon /glo̅o̅″kəgon/ [Gk, glykys, sweet, agaein, to lead] , a polypeptide hormone, produced by pancreatic alpha cells in the islets of Langerhans, that stimulates the conversion of glycogen to glucose in the liver. Secretion of glucagon is stimulated by hypoglycemia and by growth hormone from the anterior pituitary. A preparation of purified crystallized glucagon is used in the treatment of certain hypoglycemic states. Also called hyperglycemic-glycogenolytic factor.
