S-SCI EL 09 BIOCHEMISTRY

Title: “Substitutes” for Human Insulin

Author/Reference: Stoker, Stephen H., General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry

Reviewed by: Kecilyn O. Ambrocio

BSci.Ed. Student, Philippine Normal University North Luzon

Summary:

Insulin is a 51-amino-acid-containing protein hormone. Its function within the human

body involves regulation of blood-glucose levels. It assists the entry of blood glucose into cells
by interacting with receptors on cell membranes. It also helps facilitate the conversion of glucose
to the storage polysaccharide glycogen when blood-glucose levels become too high and
facilitates the reverse process (conversion of glycogen back to glucose) when blood-glucose
levels become too low. The inability to use insulin produced (insulin resistance) result in the
condition diabetes mellitus were the person is cured by giving insulin via subcutaneous injection.

Because of the limited availability of human insulin, most insulin used by diabetics was
obtained from the pancreases of slaughter-house animals. Such animal insulin, obtained
primarily from cows and pigs without serious side effects. Immunological reactions gradually
increase because the animal insulin is foreign to the human body.

In terms of primary structure of human insulin, porcine (pig) insulin, and bovine (cow)
insulin are very similar. Porcine and human insulin match at 50 of the 51 amino acid positions,
and bovine and human insulin match at 48 of the 51 amino acid positions.

The dependency of diabetics on animal insulin is now decline because of the availability
of human insulin produced by genetically engineered bacteria. These bacteria carry a gene that
directs the synthesis of human insulin. Such bacteria-produced insulin is fully functional. All
diabetics now have the choice of using human insulin or using animal insulin. Many still
continue to use the animal insulin because it is cheaper.

Biosynthetic “human” insulin has now gone beyond the “bacteria stage.” Researchers
have successfully introduced the gene for human insulin into plants, specifically the safflower

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S-SCI EL 09 BIOCHEMISTRY

plant, which produce the insulin. It is anticipated that this advance will significantly reduce
biosynthetic insulin production costs.

Researchers have obtained several “new” insulins that are called insulin analogs because
they are not exact copies of human insulin but slightly modified copies of human insulin. These
insulin analogs affect glucose levels in the same manner as “regular” insulin but often have
better absorption rates and longer periods of bioactivity. The action of insulin analogs can be
short as 15 minutes compared to usual rates of an hour. Some insulin analogs remain active for a
period of 18 to 24 hours; in essence that they are “extended release” insulins.

Another active area of research is the development of insulin forms that can be taken
orally. Currently, insulins cannot be taken orally because they lose their activity when they
encounter the stomach’s digestive enzymes. Oral insulin research involves developing methods
for protecting insulin formulations from digestive enzymes.

Reflection:

Insulin is important to our body because its function is to regulate our blood-sugar level.
Nowadays insulin is inadequate from the person that have diabetics but they are recommended to
take an animal insulin to substitute. Researcher successfully produce insulin that called insulin
analogs. Insulin analog perform the same action as human insulin that can characterized as
ADME (adsorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion). For patients that have diabetics be
careful what they using insulin because there are different types of insulin that can result to the
large diabetes population and frequently increase blood glucose level..

FLA 4 FEBRUARY 10, 2017