Advances in Physiology Education, Vol 270, Issue 6 81-S87, Copyright © 1996 by American Physiological Society
Graphic analysis for the study of metabolic states
R. L. Summers, L. H. Woodward, D. Y. Sanders and J. E. Hall
Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson 39216-4505, USA.
Graphic analyses have been used in the study of physiology as a means to
better understand dynamic processes and to visualize the mechanisms of
their interactions. A graphic analysis of glucose homeostasis was
constructed by considering the main factors that influence glucose
dynamics. The analysis is achieved by equating curves representing both the
inflow and outflow of glucose from the circulation as dependent upon the
serum insulin concentration. The point where these two curves intersect is
the steady-state balance for blood glucose exchange and is termed the
equilibrium point. With the use of this graphic depiction of glucose
homeostasis, it is now possible to study the influence of multiple factors
on glucose dynamics. A variety of metabolic states can also be analyzed by
reconstructing the effects of the pathophysiology on the form and shape of
the curves. Some of the metabolic states that have been analyzed by this
technique include starvation, exercise, obesity, type I and type II
diabetes mellitus, stress, hypopituitarism, hyperpituitarism, and
hyperthyroidism. Although the analyses do not reflect all of the
controversial nuances of the field, they do provide a means for a general
approach to the study of glucose homeostasis and serve as a methodology
that can be extrapolated to many areas of physiological study.
