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Insulin is a peptide hormone containing two chains cross-linked by disulfide bridges. Insulin (/ ˈ ɪ n. sj ʊ. l ɪ n /, [5] [6] from Latin insula, 'island') is a peptide hormone produced by beta cells of the pancreatic islets encoded in humans by the insulin (INS) gene. It is the main anabolic hormone of the body. [7]
One international unit of insulin (1 IU) is defined as the "biological equivalent" of 34.7 μg pure crystalline insulin. [citation needed] The first definition of a unit of insulin was the amount required to induce hypoglycemia in a rabbit. This was set by James Collip at the University of Toronto in 1922. Of course, this was dependent on the ...
The insulin transduction pathway is a biochemical pathway by which insulin increases the uptake of glucose into fat and muscle cells and reduces the synthesis of glucose in the liver and hence is involved in maintaining glucose homeostasis. This pathway is also influenced by fed versus fasting states, stress levels, and a variety of other ...
The insulin receptor (IR) is a transmembrane receptor that is activated by insulin, IGF-I, IGF-II and belongs to the large class of receptor tyrosine kinase. [5] Metabolically, the insulin receptor plays a key role in the regulation of glucose homeostasis; a functional process that under degenerate conditions may result in a range of clinical manifestations including diabetes and cancer.
(Portmanteau of diabetes and bulimia) An eating disorder where Type 1 diabetics intentionally take less insulin than needed in order to lose weight. Without insulin, glucose becomes unusable and accumulates in the bloodstream (eventually being lost in urine), and the body is forced to use fat for energy.
If the blood glucose level falls to dangerously low levels (as during very heavy exercise or lack of food for extended periods), the alpha cells of the pancreas release glucagon, a peptide hormone which travels through the blood to the liver, where it binds to glucagon receptors on the surface of liver cells and stimulates them to break down glycogen stored inside the cells into glucose (this ...
The action of insulin is counterregulated by glucagon, epinephrine (), norepinephrine (noradrenaline), cortisol, and growth hormone.These counterregulatory hormones—the term is usually used in the plural—raise the level of glucose in the blood by promoting glycogenolysis, gluconeogenesis, ketogenesis, and other catabolic processes. [1]
Insulin lispro, sold under the brand name Humalog among others, is a modified type of medical insulin used to treat type 1 and type 2 diabetes. [5] It is delivered subcutaneously either by injection or from an insulin pump .