| Location of the Pancreas Insulin is a
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| | tying a string around the pancreatic duct
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| hormone. And like many hormones, insulin
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| | of several dogs. When they examined the
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| is a protein. Insulin is secreted by
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| | pancreases of these dogs several weeks
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| groups of cells within the pancreas
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| | later, all of the pancreas digestive
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| called islet cells. The pancreas is an
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| | cells were gone (died and were absorbed
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| organ that sits behind the stomach and
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| | by the immune system) and the only thing
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| has many functions in addition to insulin
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| | left was thousands of pancreatic islets.
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| production. The pancreas also produces
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| | They then isolated the protein from these
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| digestive enzymes and other hormones
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| | islets and behold, they discovered
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| (detailed on another page). Carbohydrates
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| | insulin. Note that there are other
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| (or sugars) are absorbed from the
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| | hormones produced by different types of
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| intestines into the bloodstream after a
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| | cells within pancreatic islets (glucagon,
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| meal. Insulin is then secreted by the
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| | somatostatin, etc) but insulin is
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| pancreas in response to this detected
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| | produced in far greater amounts under
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| increase in blood sugar. Most cells of
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| | normal conditions making the simple
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| the body have insulin receptors which
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| | approach used by Banting and Best quite
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| bind the insulin which is in the
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| | successful.
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| circulation. When a cell has insulin
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| | Where Does Commercial Insulin Come From?
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| attached to its surface, the cell
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| | The first successful insulin preparations
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| activates other receptors designed to
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| | came from cows (and later pigs). The
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| absorb glucose (sugar) from the blood
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| | pancreatic islets and the insulin protein
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| stream into the inside of the cell.
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| | contained within them were isolated from
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| Pancreatic Islet Cells secrete insulin.
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| | animals slaughtered for food in a similar
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| Without insulin, you can eat lots of food
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| | but more complex fashion than was used by
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| and actually be in a state of starvation
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| | our doctor and med-student duo. The
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| since many of our cells cannot access the
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| | bovine (cow) and porcine (pig) insulin
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| calories contained in the glucose very
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| | were purified, bottled, and sold. Bovine
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| well without the action of insulin. This
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| | and porcine insulin worked very well (and
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| is why Type 1 diabetics who do not make
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| | still do!) for the vast majority of
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| insulin can become very ill without
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| | patients, but some could develop an
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| insulin shots. Insulin is a necessary
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| | allergy or other types of reactions to
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| hormone. Those who develop a deficiency
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| | the foreign protein (a foreign protein is
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| of insulin must have it replaced via
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| | a protein which is not native to humans).
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| shots or pumps (Type 1 Diabetes). More
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| | In the 1980's technology had advanced to
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| commonly, people will develop insulin
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| | the point where we could make human
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| resistance (Type 2 Diabetes) rather than
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| | insulin. The advantage would be that
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| a true deficiency of insulin. In this
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| | human insulin would have a much lower
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| case, the levels of insulin in the blood
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| | chance of inducing a reaction because it
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| are similar or even a little higher than
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| | is not a foreign protein (all humans have
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| in normal, non-diabetic individuals.
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| | the exact same insulin, so we do not
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| However, many cells of Type 2 diabetics
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| | "see" this as a foreign protein). The
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| respond sluggishly to the insulin they
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| | technology which made this approach
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| make and therefore their cells cannot
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| | possible was the development of
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| absorb the sugar molecules well. This
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| | recombinant DNA techniques. In simple
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| leads to blood sugar levels which run
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| | terms, the human gene which codes for the
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| higher than normal. Occasionally Type 2
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| | insulin protein was cloned (copied) and
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| diabetics will need insulin shots but
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| | then put inside of bacteria. A number of
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| most of the time other methods of
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| | tricks were performed on this gene to
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| treatment will work.
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| | make the bacteria want to use it to
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| Pancreas Secretes Insulin was the first
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| | constantly make insulin. Big vats of
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| hormone identified (late 1920's) which
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| | bacteria now make tons of human insulin.
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| won the doctor and medical student who
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| | From this, pharmaceutical companies can
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| discovered it the Nobel Prize (Banting
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| | isolate pure human insulin.
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| and Best). They discovered insulin by
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