Insulin is co-secreted with c-peptide
and it is more stable than insulin.
Clinical Implication :
C-peptide levels can be used to
differentiate between exogenous
insulin administration and insulin
secreting tumors
Insulin structure
Mol. Wt. of 5808 in humans
51 amino acids in two chains – A(21 AA) & B(30 AA)
Linked by disulfide bridges
Differs from porcine by one AA and from bovine by 3 AA
Insulin SecretionInsulin Secretion
Steady basal release of insulin
Response to increase in blood glucose
Rapid phase – release of stored insulin
Delayed phase – continued release and synthesis
Clinical implication:
While treating, two-thirds of total daily insulin
given to cover basal needs (by longer acting
insulin) and one-third to one-half should be short
acting given before each meal.
Phases of insulin SecretionPhases of insulin Secretion
Insulin storageInsulin storage
Synthesized & stored (bound to zinc) in
granules in the beta cells.
Clinical Implication :
Therapeutically used exogenous insulin is
also stored by adding small quantities of
zinc.
Addition of small quantities of zinc
increases the shelf life and all preparations
including regular insulin and insulin
analogs have small quantities of zinc.
Insulin actions
(m ainly live r, m uscle and adipose tissue )
↑ triglyceride
storage
(adipose
tissue)
↑ uptake of
glucose
(skeletal
muscle & fat)
↑ protein &
glycogen
synthesis
(liver &
muscle)
↓ formation of
glucose from
glycogen,
protein & fat
(liver)
PharmacokineticsPharmacokinetics
Naturally secreted insulin enters portal vein
and half of it is taken up by liver
Rest enters systemic circulation
Circulating insulin has a short t1/2 (5 min)
Clinical implication :
Various preparations of insulin are available
for therapeutic use.
Insulin PreparationsInsulin Preparations
Insulin preparations are made by
Physical modifications like adding protamine
or zinc to give amorphous or crystalline
suspensions
Altering the amino acid sequence of non
receptor binding regions of insulin – insulin
analogs
Preparations of Insulin
1. Conventional insulin preparations
- Beef and pork insulins
- Modified by adding zinc and/or protamine to form
slowly absorbed & longer acting preprations
2. Highly purified insulin preparations
- Single peak insulins – gel filtration & repeated crystallization
(50-200 ppm proinsulin)
- Monocomponent insulins- gel filtration & ion exchange
chromatography (<20 ppm)
3. Human insulin- recombinant DNA technology
4. Insulin analogues – Lispro, aspart, glargine, glulisine, detemir
Duration of action of Insulin
preparations
Rapid acting
Insulin lispro
Insulin aspart
Short acting
Regular insulin
Semilente
Intermediate acting
Lente (Ultra:Semi:7:3)
NPH or Isophane
Long acting
Ultralente
Protamine zinc
Insulin glargine
Lispro & Aspart
Glargine
Proline to aspartic acid at B28
Proline (B28 to B29) & lysine (B29 to B28)
Regular Insulin – contRegular Insulin – cont……
Injected 30 – 45 minutes before meals
Only type which can be given intravenously
Reason
Dilution causes immediate dissociation of
hexameric forms
Time of onset, peak, duration of action increases
with size of dose
Neutral Protamine Hagedorn (NPH) insulinNeutral Protamine Hagedorn (NPH) insulin
In NPH insulin, neutral stands for pH,
protamine is the protein added,
What is Hagedorn?
The scientist who first formed this type of insulin.
Lente insulinLente insulin
Zinc is added in excess amount (10 times more)
Lente – intermediate acting
Semilente – amorphous suspension of zinc &
insulin, short acting
Ultralente – crystalline suspension of zinc & insulin,
long acting
Cannot be mixed with regular insulin because of high
zinc content
Not so popular, not manufactured from 2005 in USA
Insulin AnalogsInsulin Analogs
Rapid acting – lispro, aspart, glulisine
Long acting – glargine, detemir
Short acting analogs
Low propensity to self associate into dimers
Stabilized into hexamers to increase shelf life
After injection quickly dissociates into monomers
Advantages of insulin analogsAdvantages of insulin analogs
Closely mimic normal endogenous insulin
secretion
Insulin can be taken immediately before
the meal
Less risk for hypoglycemia
Lowest variability of absorption
Rapid acting analogs preferred for
subcutaneous pump infusion
Inhaled InsulinInhaled Insulin
(withdrawn?)(withdrawn?)
Administered in powder form by inhalation
Short acting
Bioavailability – 15%
Concerns of lung safety
(may cause acute bronchospasms or cough)
Acceptable levels of glycaemic control
•Overnight Fasting: 90-120mg %
•1 hour after food: Not higher than 180mg %
•2 hour after food: Not higher than 150mg %
•Glycohemoglobin value: No higher than 1%
above the upper limit of the normal range
for that lab.
Principles of insulin
therapyWhen initiating insulin therapy, total daily dose
is calculated as 0.6 x body weight in Kg
Two thirds of the total dose is given in the
morning and remaining one third in the evening
Morning dose contains 2/3 longer acting insulin
and 1/3 rapid or short acting insulin
Evening dose consists of 1/2 longer acting
insulin and 1/2 rapid or short acting insulin
Insulin uses
1.Type 1 Diabetes mellitus – Life long maintenance
2.Type 2 Diabetes mellitus –
•Primary or secondary failure to OHD
•Underweight
•Infection, trauma, surgery, myocardial
infarction etc.
•Pregnancy
•Complications like gangrene
3. Diabetic ketoacidosis
•Somogyi Effect:
•Dawn phenomenon:reduced tissue sensitivity to insulin
between 5AM and 8 AM
•Present in 75% of Type I diabetics
Higher blood glucose around 7AM
Blood glucose mg %
10 PM 3 AM 7 AM
Somogyi effect90 40 200
Dawn
phenomenom
110 110 150
Insulin resistance
When insulin requirement in a diabetic patient is very high,
i.e. >200 U/day, he/she is regarded as insulin resistant
Types : Acute – Infection, trauma, surgery, ketoacidosis
Treatment : Correct precipitating cause & to give high
doses of regular insulin
Chronic- Antibodies to contaminating proteins
Treatment : Change over to more purified newer
preparations, Combine with sulphonylurea,
Corticosteroids, If extreme resistance - serine protease
inhibitor (aprotinin)
Diabetic ketoacidosis
Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA)
Medical emergency: Hyperglycemia, dehydration and acidosis
High glucose levels (>300 mg/dl), low bicarbonate (<15 mEq/l) and
acidosis (pH <7.30) with ketonemia and ketonuria
Treatment
Insulin : 0.1 – 0.2 U/Kg i.v. bolus, followed by 0.1 U/Kg/h infusion,
after 4-6 h reduce to 2-3 U/h (if BGL , 300 mg %)
i.v. fluids & supportive measures: Normal saline 1 l/h reduce to
0.5 l/4h when BSL reaches 300 mg%, 5% glucose in 1/2N saline
Potassium Chloride
Sodium Bicarbonate
Antibiotics
EXAM POINT OF VIEW
Diabetic keto-acidosis- SAQ
Name few insulin preparations-
VSAQ
Name two novel drug delivery
mechanisms for delivery of
insulin- VSAQ
Thank you
History
•1869 : Paul Langerhans (German Medical Student)
•1911 : El Scott (Medical student)
•1916 – 1920: Nicolas Paulesco
•1921:
Banting F.B. (Canadian surgeon)
Charles Best (Medical student)
Macleod J.J.R. (Prof. of Physiology)
Collip J.B. (Chemist)
First Patient: Leonard Thomson (14 years)