A patient with type 1 diabetes self-injected insulin prior to their evening meal, but then was distracted and forgot to eat. A few hours later, the individual fainted, and after the paramedics arrived, they did a STAT blood glucose level and found it to be 45 mg/dL. The blood glucose level was so low because which one of the following tissues assimilated most of it under these conditions?
Insulin stimulates glucose transport into muscle and adipose cells through mobilization of GLUT4 transporters from internal vesicles to the cell surface. Insulin does not significantly stimulate glucose transport into tissues such as liver, brain, or red blood cells, which utilize different variants of the glucose transporters. Only GLUT4 is insulin responsive.
Brain
Liver
Red blood cells
Adipose tissue
Carbohydrates