The Role and Functions of Insulin - Essay Example

INSULIN 2006 INTRODUCTION Insulin is a hormone secreted by cells in the pancreas. The foremost task of Insulin is to permit glucose to go through thebody cells for the reason to be burned as fuel. The task of Insulin is discussed in this paper. This paper tackled the definition of Insulin and its responsibility to all animals including human. Insulin is divided into various types in connection on the number of hours until the peak action. Peak action happens when the absorption of insulin is greatest in the blood, and has its furthermost glucose-lowering result. These types of Insulin are also elaborated in this research as well as its side effect. While side effects from insulin exercise are unusual, allergic reactions or low blood sugar at times identified as insulin reaction may pose considerable health risks. GENERAL DISCUSSION Frederick Grant Banting and Charles H. Best discovered insulin while they were doing their job in the laboratory of John J.R. Macleod at the University of Toronto in the year 1921. They first used the material obtained from the pancreas of dogs to remain diabetic dogs alive and they used it effectively on a 14-year-old boy with diabetes in 1922. In the year 1923, James B. Collip, a biochemist, discovered that decontaminating the extract prevented lots of the side effects. In the year 1939, US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first approved insulin. Insulin was the first hormone to be synthesized entirely in the laboratory, a feat accomplished by the American worker Michael Katsoyannis and scientists in China in 1966. The first recombinant human insulin was permitted by the FDA in 1982. Insulin is a hormone, and like most other hormones, insulin is a protein.  The Insulin is secreted by groups of cells within the pancreas called islet cells. The pancreas is an organ that is located behind the stomach and has various functions in addition to insulin production. The pancreas also generates digestive enzymes and other hormones. Carbohydrates or sugars are absorbed from the intestines into the bloodstream after a meal. Insulin is then secreted by the pancreas in response to this detected increase in blood sugar. Most cells of the body have insulin receptors which bind the insulin which is in the circulation.  When a cell has insulin attached to its surface, the cell activates other receptors designed to absorb glucose from the blood stream into the inside of the cell. After eating, the food is broken down into glucose, the simple sugar that is the main source of energy for the bodys cells (NIH. 2006). But the cells cannot use glucose without insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas. Insulin helps the cells take in glucose and convert it to energy (NIH. 2006). When the pancreas does not make enough insulin or the body is unable to use the insulin that is present, the cells cannot use glucose (NIH. 2006). Excess glucose builds up in the bloodstream, setting the stage for diabetes. Being obese or overweight affects the way insulin works in the body (NIH. 2006). Extra fat tissue can make the body resistant to the action of insulin, but exercise helps insulin work well (NIH. 2006). Without insulin, people can eat lots of food and in fact be in a state of starvation because many of the cells cannot access the calories contained in the glucose very well without the action of insulin. This is why Type 1 diabetics who do not generate insulin can turn out to be very ill without insulin shots. Insulin is a required hormone. More generally, people will develop insulin resistance (Type 2 Diabetes) rather than a true deficiency of insulin. In this situation, the levels of insulin in the blood are alike or even a little higher than in normal, non-diabetic individuals. On the other hand, most cells of Type 2 diabetics respond slowly to the insulin they make and for that reason their cells cannot absorb the sugar molecules well.  This leads to blood sugar levels which run higher than usual. Occasionally Type 2 diabetics will require insulin shots but most of the time other methods of treatment will work. Insulin is absolutely required for all animals including human life (Wikipedia. 2006). The mechanism is almost identical in nematode worms, fish, and in mammals. In humans, insulin deprivation due to the removal or destruction of the pancreas leads to death in days or at most weeks (Wikipedia. 2006). Insulin must be administered to patients in whom there is a lack of the hormone for this, or any other, reason. Clinically, this is called diabetes mellitus type 1 (Wikipedia. 2006). Regular insulin is manufactured from beef and pork pancreas, starts working within 30 to 60 minutes, and lasts for 6 to 8 hours. The initial source of insulin for clinical use in humans was from cow, horse, pig or fish pancreases (Wikipedia. 2006). Insulin from these sources is effective in humans as it is nearly identical to human insulin (Wikipedia. 2006). Insulin is obviously a protein which has been very strongly conserved across evolutionary time (Wikipedia. 2006). Differences in suitability of beef, pork, or fish insulin preparations for particular patients have been primarily the result of preparation purity and of allergic reactions to assorted non-insulin substances remaining in those preparations (Wikipedia. 2006). Purity has improved more or less steadily since the 1920s, but allergic reactions have continued though slowly reducing in severity (Wikipedia. 2006). Insulin production from animal pancreases was widespread for decades, but there are very few patients today relying on insulin from these sources (Wikipedia. 2006). Human insulin is now manufactured for widespread clinical use using genetic engineering techniques, which significantly reduces impurity reaction problems (Wikipedia. 2006). Eli Lilly marketed the first such insulin, Humulin, in 1982 (Wikipedia. 2006). Humulin was the first medication produced using modern genetic engineering techniques, in which actual human DNA is inserted into a host cell. The host cells are then allowed to grow and reproduce normally, and due to the inserted human DNA, they produce actual human insulin (Wikipedia. 2006). Since January 2006, all insulin distributed in the U.S. and some other countries are human insulin or their analogs (Wikipedia. 2006). A special FDA importation process is required to obtain beef or pork insulin for use in the U.S., though there may be some remaining stocks of pork insulin made by Lilly in 2005 or earlier (Wikipedia. 2006). There have been attempts to improve upon this mode of administering insulin, as many people find injection awkward and painful. One alternative is jet injection, which has different insulin delivery peaks and durations as compared to needle injection (Wikipedia. 2006). Some diabetics find control possible with jet injectors, but not with hypodermic injection (Wikipedia. 2006). There are also insulin pumps of various types which are electrical injectors attached to a semi-permanently implanted needle (Wikipedia. 2006). Some who cannot achieve adequate glucose control by conventional injection are able to do so with the appropriate pump (Wikipedia. 2006). Inhaled insulin is under investigation, as are several other insulin administration techniques (Wikipedia. 2006). Presently, insulin is presented from bovine (beef), porcine (pork), and recombinant (human) sources. Regular (rapid onset, short-acting) and NPH or Neutral Protamine Hagedorn (slower onset, longer duration) human insulin are the most commonly-used preparations. An ultra rapid-acting insulin analog, insulin lispro injection (Humalog(r)) is a chemically-modified, natural insulin. Insulin is administered by injection via the subcutaneous route. Regular insulin acts within 30 minutes, and its effects last 6 to 8 hours. The maximal effect happens 1 to 3 hours following the injection. As compared to regular insulin, insulin lispro acts more quickly, has an earlier maximal effect, and a shorter duration action. Consequently, insulin lispro should be given within 15 minutes of a meal, compared to regular insulin, which is given 30-60 minutes before meals. NPH insulin is insulin with an intermediate-duration of action. It has an onset of action for about 2 hours following administration and a duration of action of 18 to 26 hours. Its maximal effect is 4 to 12 hours after administration. Lente insulin also is intermediate-acting insulin. It has an onset of action after 2 to 4 hours and duration of action of 18 to 26 hours. The climax activity of Lente insulin happens 6 to 12 hours following administration. Insulin resistance is a silent condition that increases the chances of developing diabetes and heart disease (NIH. 2006). Learning about insulin resistance is the first steps a person can take toward making lifestyle changes that will help prevent diabetes and other health problems (NIH. 2006). Because insulin resistance tends to run in families, people know that genes are partly responsible. Excess weight also contributes to insulin resistance because too much fat interferes with muscles ability to use insulin (NIH. 2006). Lack of exercise further reduces muscles ability to use insulin (NIH. 2006). We hear a lot concerning insulin resistance, but stop and think a little bit, do you think our cells only become resistant to insulin? The more hormones the cells are exposed to, the more resistant they will turn out to be to almost any hormone. Some cells more than others though, so there is a discrepancy. The problem with hormone resistance is that there is a dichotomy of resistance all the cells dont become resistant at the same time. And various hormones affect various cells, and the rate of hormone is dissimilar among various cells and this causes lots of problems with the feedback mechanisms. While side effects from insulin use are unusual, allergic reactions or low blood sugar at times called an insulin reaction may pose considerable health risks. Other side effects are almost removed when the correct dose of insulin is matched with the appropriate diet and level of physical activity. Low blood sugar may develop in inadequately controlled or unstable diabetes. Consuming sugar or a sugar-containing product will typically correct the condition, which can be brought about by taking too much insulin, missing or delaying meals, exercising or working more than usual, an infection or illness, a change in the bodys need for insulin, drug interactions, or consuming alcohol. Keep in mind, too, the symptoms related with an under-supply of insulin, which can be brought on by taking too little of it, overeating, or fever and infection. Symptoms of inadequate insulin include: Drowsiness, flushing, fruity breath, heavy breathing, loss of appetite, rapid pulse, thirst. If a person is ill, you should check the urine for ketones (acetone), and notify the doctor if the test is positive. This condition can be life-threatening. CONCLUSION A person with type 1 diabetes, and most people with type 2 diabetes, must obtain insulin to control blood glucose levels. Over the years, a number of various types and brands of insulin have been produced to meet various needs. Most of those in use nowadays are synthetic human insulin created by recombinant technology. Human insulin commonly has a more rapid onset and shorter interval of activity than pork-derived insulin. For the reason that people dont react to individual types of insulin in similar way, a person will need to work with the doctor to find the correct insulin or combination that works best for such person. The insulin choice should fit together with the eating and exercise patterns, so its significant for a person to plan the insulin intake with the doctor or diabetes educator. Regardless of the type of insulin the doctor has prescribed, the person should follow cautiously the dietary and exercise procedure he or she has recommended. Failure to follow these procedures or to take the insulin as prescribed may result in severe and potentially life-threatening complications. REFERENCE National Institute of Health (NIH). Insulin Resistance and Pre-Diabetes. Reviews causes and symptoms of insulin resistance, discusses how insulin ... How are insulin resistance, pre-diabetes, and type 2 diabetes linked? ... (2006). Wikipedia. Insulin. Humulin, Humalog (Eli Lilly) and Novolin, Levemir (Novo Nordisk), insulin glargine Aventus, etc ... 2 Nobel Prizes related to insulin. 3 Structure and production ... (2006). Read More