Question

If a pharmaceutical company wished to design a drug to maintain low blood sugar levels, one approach might be to design a compound that does which of the following?

A. that mimics epinephrine and can bind to the epinephrine receptor.
B. to stimulate G protein activity in liver cells.
C. that increases phosphodiesterase activity.
D. that stimulates CAMP production in liver cells.
E. that does any of the above.

Answer 1

The best approach for a drug to maintain low blood sugar levels is to increase phosphodiesterase activity, which breaks down cAMP, leading to decreased activities that raise blood glucose levels such as glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis.

Step-by-step explanation:

If a pharmaceutical company wished to design a drug to maintain low blood sugar levels, an effective approach might be to design a compound that increases phosphodiesterase activity. This is because phosphodiesterase is the enzyme responsible for breaking down cyclic AMP (cAMP), which mediates cell-specific responses such as the breakdown of glycogen to glucose. Increased phosphodiesterase activity would result in lower cAMP levels, which in turn would lead to a decrease in the activities that raise blood glucose levels, such as glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis. Therefore, the correct choice would be C: that increases phosphodiesterase activity.

It is important to note that options A, B, and D would be counterproductive to the goal of maintaining low blood sugar levels, as they are associated with mechanisms that tend to increase blood sugar. Hormones like epinephrine and glucagon bind to their receptors on liver cells, activating adenylyl cyclase, increasing cAMP levels, and ultimately promoting the release of glucose into the bloodstream.