University of Ioannina, PC 45110, Greece
+30 26510 07436
Basic Biomedical Sciences

"New forms of insulin and treatment of diabetes mellitus type 1"

Abstract

The type 1 diabetes mellitus (type 1 diabetes, former insulin dependent or juvenile diabetes) is a chronic autoimmune disease that is thought to be caused by nongenetic, environmental agents (viral, dietary) in genetically predisposed individuals, starting from an immunological process results in the progressive loss of pancreatic beta cells which produce insulin. The subsequent lack of insulin leads to elevated blood and urine glucose levels. Insulin is still necessary in the treatment of diabetics, but its use is limited by its narrow therapeutic index. Current insulin therapies suffer from serious shortcomings due to the repeatability of the therapeutic dose to dose and from patient to patient.

Synthetic chemistry has provided the means for perfecting the use of insulin as a medicament, where the optimization is directed beyond the pharmacokinetics, to change the pharmacodynamic properties, which are more selective and less variable in their results. Growth suspensions based on Zinc (Zinc-based suspensions) in order to prolong the effect of insulin, represented the main form of insulin for decades. Although advances in peptide chemistry and recombinant DNA have enabled the synthesis of structurally optimized insulin analogues (ultra-fast, short, intermediate and long-acting), the growing epidemics of obesity and diabetes have emphasized the need for diabetes therapies that are more efficacious, safe and convenient. For this purpose, a large set of “drug candidates” proceeds though the clinic, targeting hyperglycaemia and other disease abnormalities, while the first treatment options with injected insulin analogues are already in place. The ultimate goal of insulin therapy in diabetes mellitus type 1 remains to achieve euglycemia, prevent hyperglycemia symptoms and the prevention of diabetic ketoacidosis, which is why research is constantly progressing, to achieve the best possible treatment of the disease

SIOLA Eleftheria