Endocrine Pancreas & Diabetes

Question 1

What is the half-life of insulin & glucagon

Answer 1

~4 to 6 min

Question 2

How many disulphide bond are present in each molecule of insulin

Answer 2

3 bonds
(2 inter-subunit disulphide bond
1 intro-subunit disulphide bond)

Question 3

What is C-peptide used for?

Answer 3

Clinical marker for endogenous insulin release. It has a longer half-life than insulin in plasma.

Question 4

What are the autoantibodies found in Type 1 diabetes mellitus

Answer 4

Islet cell autoantibodies (ICAs)
Insulin autoantibodies (IAAs)

Question 5

How would the C-peptide conc. change/not change if insulin is injected into a diabetic individual ?

Answer 5

Remain the same
Commercial insulin just contain insulin.

Question 6

What is the normal plasma concentration for glucose?

Answer 6

5 μmol/ml = 5mmol/L

Question 7

Why must insulin be delivered directly instead of being taken orally in a pill form?

Answer 7

Insulin is a peptide hormone so would broken down in the GI tract to its constituent amino acids

Question 8

What is the mode of action of metformin?

Answer 8

Decreasing gluconeogenesis
-Metformin inhibits hepatic gluconeogenesis.

Question 9

What are the 2 most significant factors underlying the aetiology of the metabolic syndrome

Answer 9

Insulin resistance
Central obesity

Question 10

When is metformin prescribed and how does it work on diabetic patients?

Answer 10

Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus with long term progression of the condition

Mechanism:
Reduced hepatic glucose output by inhibiting gluconeogenesis, reducing the level of glucose in blood.
Also, makes the body more willing to absorb glucose already present in the bloodstream.