Insulin

INSULIN

Endocrine pancreas

  • The Beta-cells of the islets of langerhans secrete the peptide hormone insulin.
  • Insulin is secreted in response to gastrointestinal peptide hormones, plasma concentrations of glucose, aminoacids or fatty acids and other local (glucagons) or systemic (acetylcholine and beta agonists) chemical messengers or drugs (sulphonylureas).
  • Diabetes mellitus is a condition due to lack of insulin and is characterized by sweet urine, polydipisia, wasting of tissues, development of ketocidosis, hypersomolar coma and death.
  • In 1921 Banting and Best extracted the active compound from pancreas that controlled hyperglycemia in diabetic dogs and human.
  • There are two types of diabetes in human and they are IDDM or TYPE I (Insulin dependent diabetes mellitus) and NIDDM or Type II (Non-insulin dependent Diabetes mellitus).
  • In IDDM there is lack of insulin and in NIDDM there is resistance to insulin.
Last modified: Thursday, 26 April 2012, 4:45 AM