Production

Production of Insulin

Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that plays a crucial role in regulating blood glucose levels. It allows cells in the body to take in glucose from the bloodstream and use it as a source of energy. This article will detail the process of insulin production in the human body, as well as the methods used to produce insulin for medical use.

Insulin Production in the Human Body

Insulin is produced by the beta cells of the Islets of Langerhans in the pancreas. The process begins with the synthesis of preproinsulin, a single-chain polypeptide, in the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER). Preproinsulin is then converted into proinsulin through the removal of its signal peptide. This conversion occurs in the RER lumen.

Proinsulin is transported to the Golgi apparatus, where it is packaged into secretory vesicles. Within these vesicles, proinsulin is cleaved by endopeptidases to form insulin and C-peptide. These are then stored in the vesicles until they are released into the bloodstream in response to an increase in blood glucose levels.

Medical Production of Insulin

The first insulin used for medical purposes was extracted from the pancreases of cows and pigs. However, this method had several drawbacks, including the risk of allergic reactions and the limited supply of animal pancreases.

Today, most insulin used for medical purposes is produced through recombinant DNA technology. This involves inserting the human insulin gene into a suitable host organism, such as Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria or yeast cells. These organisms then produce insulin, which can be purified and used for medical purposes.

The production of insulin through recombinant DNA technology has several advantages over the previous method. It provides a virtually unlimited supply of insulin, eliminates the risk of allergic reactions to animal insulin, and allows for the production of insulin analogs with altered properties.

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Insulin production using recombinant DNA technology

See Also

• Diabetes mellitus
• Insulin therapy
• Insulin resistance
• Insulin analog