Plasma glucagon after kidney exclusion: experiments in somatostatin-infused and in eviscerated dogs

Bilateral kidney exclusion in the anesthetized dog is followed by a rapid and sustained increase in arterial plasma glucagon. This occurs even if endogenous glucagon secretion is inhibited by somatostatin or completely suppressed by abdominal evisceration and, in both cases, replaced by a constand infusion of exogenous glucagon. It is concluded that the rise in plasma glucagon occurring after bilateral kidney exclusion is not due to an increase in endogenous glucagon production but results from an abrupt cessation of kidney glucagon uptake.