Which hormone promotes gluconeogenesis by converting amino acids to glucose in the liver?

• A. Adrenocorticotropic Hormone
• B. Tropic hormone
• C. Aldosterone
• D. Cortisol

Answer: (D)

Cortisol, a glucocorticoid, promotes gluconeogenesis in the liver. It helps maintain blood glucose during stress or fasting by increasing the availability of amino acids through proteolysis in muscle, providing substrates for glucose production. It also upregulates gluconeogenic enzymes in the liver, such as those involved in converting amino acids into glucose, boosting the liver’s output of glucose into the bloodstream.

ACTH stimulates the release of cortisol but does not directly drive gluconeogenesis itself. Aldosterone mainly regulates salt and water balance, not glucose metabolism. A tropic hormone is a general term for hormones that act on other endocrine glands, not a specific driver of hepatic gluconeogenesis.