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Insulin
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INSULIN,

protein hormone, produced by beta cells in the islets of Langerhans of the

pancreas, that regulates the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and starches in the
body. Insulin is often used in the treatment of diabetes mellitus, which is caused by
a deficiency in the body's insulin production or by inhibition of the hormone's action
on cells.

Insulin was first extracted from the pancreatic tissue of dogs in 1921 by the
Canadian physiologists Sir Frederick Grant Banting and Charles Herbert Best. The
Scottish physiologist John James Rickard Macleod and the Canadian biochemist
James Bertram Collip (1892-1965) then produced it in a sufficiently pure form to be
injected into humans. The molecular structure of insulin was determined in 1955 by
the British biochemist Frederick Sanger; it was the first protein to be deciphered.
Human insulin, the first human protein to be synthesized, was made in 1965. In 1981
insulin made in bacteria by genetic engineering became the first human hormone
obtained in this way to be used to treat human disease. An insulin analog, a form of
insulin with a chemical structure slightly different from that of natural insulin, first
entered the U.S. market in 1996.

A variety of different types of insulin is available for treating diabetes. By the end of
the 20th century, most insulin used in the U.S. was synthesized with recombinant
DNA technology; insulin derived from the pancreases of pigs was also available,
but its sale was expected to be phased out. So-called regular, or short-acting,
insulin typically reaches the bloodstream a half an hour or an hour after injection,
peaks after two or three hours, and lasts for roughly six to eight hours. Other basic
types include intermediate-acting insulin and long-acting insulin, both of which start
working more slowly, peak more slowly, and last longer than the regular type. By
contrast, the insulin analog called insulin lispro is very fast-acting, reaching the
bloodstream in less than a quarter of an hour.

Like other proteins, insulin is partially digested if administered orally, and so when
used in treatment it is administered subcutaneously, either through injection or
through continuous infusion from an external insulin pump. Other methods of
delivery under development include implantable pumps and aerosol sprays for
inhalation. Rev. by R.Ha., RICHARD HANTULA, B.A., A.M., Ph.D.

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23/12/2019 Insulin | Discovery Education

For the biochemistry of insulin, see Sugar Metabolism.

About this Encyclopedia Article

Protein hormone, produced by beta cells in the islets of Langerhans of the pancreas, that
regulates the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and starches in the body.

Labels Student

Grade(s) 6-8, 9-12

Copyright ©2005

Publisher Funk & Wagnalls

Citations
MLA

“Insulin.” Discovery Education, Funk & Wagnalls, 2005, app.discoveryeducation.com/learn/pl

ayer/2584b7c6-dcd4-46eb-8e7d-9b44f3ad490c.

APA
Funk & Wagnalls, (2005) Insulin. [Encyclopedia Article]. Available from
http://www.discoveryeducation.ca

CHICAGO MANUAL OF STYLE

Insulin From Discovery Education. Encyclopedia Article. 2005.

http://www.discoveryeducation.ca (accessed 23 December 2019).

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