Insulin Therapy Flashcards
Does human insulin for medical use have the same amino acid sequence as endogenous human insulin?
Yes
What technique is used to produce human insulin and insulin analogs?
recombinant DNA technology genetically alters bacteria or yeast
Describe the broad steps to create human insulin and analog insulin through rDNA technology.
- DNA is inserted into host cell
- host cell is placed in conditions favorable for growth and division
- proinsulin is released by host cell (yeast) or is formed and retained inside host cell (bacteria)
- proinsulin is removed and purified
- c-peptide is enzymatically removed
- further purified and commercially prepared
What part per million is proinsulin considered pure? What ppm is rDNA made insulin?
- <10 ppm
- <1 ppm
The presence of _____ helps insulin readily crystallize.
zinc
What is one of the biggest factors that influences the absorption of insulin?
its tendency to self-associate and form hexamers
True or False: IV injected regular human insulin has a more rapid onset, peak, and duration when compared to SC injected regular human insulin.
True, because it is already in the bloodstream it more closely resembles endogenous insulin. Its hexamers also do not have to break apart to get absorbed when already in the bloodstream.
What is the time action profile of regular human insulin (onset, peak, duration)?
- Onset: 30 minutes
- Peak: 80-120 minutes
- Duration: up to 8 hours
When should regular human insulin be dosed?
30 minutes before meals subcutaneously
What is the primary disadvantage to using regular human insulin?
its nonphysiologic time action profile makes it difficult to match its peak to the blood glucose peak after a meal.
What is added to regular insulin to make NPH?
protamine
What is the time action profile of NPH (onset, peak, duration)?
- Onset: 1.6 hours
- Peak: 4-12 hours
- Duration: up to 24 hours after SC injection
What is a major risk/disadvantage to using NPH?
the risk of hypoglycemia - especially nocturnal - due to its pronounced peak
Describe the time action profile of Novolog. When should it be dosed?
- Onset: 10-20 minutes
- Peak: 40-50 minutes
- Duration: 3-5 hours
- 5-10 minutes before the start of meal
What is the time action profile of Humalog? When should it be dosed?
- Onset: 15-30 minutes
- Peak: 30-90 minutes
- Duration: 3-6 hours
- within 15 minutes before or immediately after starting meal
Describe the time action profile of Apidra and when it should be dosed.
- Onset: 25 minutes
- Peak: 100 minutes
- Duration: 4-5 hours
- within 15 minutes before a meal, or within 20 minutes after starting a meal
What amino acid substitutions give Novolog its unique characteristics?
Aspartic acid replaces proline at position 28 of the B chain
What populations is Novolog indicated for?
- Type 1 and Type 2 adults
- Type 1 children 2 years and older