In the fight against diabetes, diabetes insulin is undoubtedly the focus of attention. It is not only the focus of medical research, but also the key for countless diabetic patients to regain health and hope. But do you really understand the mystery of diabetes insulin? How does it work? What new breakthroughs and developments are there? In the following article, we will explore diabetes insulin in depth, unveil its mystery for you, and help you master the powerful weapon to control diabetes.
Diabetes insulin basic concepts
Insulin is a protein hormone secreted by pancreatic β cells in the pancreas. It originates from the pancreatic islets and consists of two peptide chains, A and B, containing a total of 51 amino acid residues.
Insulin plays a vital role in the body. It is the only hormone in the body that can lower blood sugar. It promotes the uptake and utilization of glucose by the whole body tissues (especially the liver and muscle tissues), accelerates the synthesis of glycogen, promotes the oxidation and decomposition of glucose, and thus increases the way out of blood sugar. At the same time, insulin can also inhibit the decomposition of liver glycogen and the process of gluconeogenesis, reduce the source of blood sugar, and thus maintain the body’s blood sugar stable. In addition, insulin also has the effect of promoting the synthesis of protein and fat.
effect
Regulating blood sugar metabolism
Insulin can significantly reduce blood sugar levels. In terms of sugar metabolism, it promotes the uptake and utilization of glucose by tissues throughout the body (especially liver and muscle tissue), accelerates the synthesis of glycogen, promotes the oxidation and decomposition of glucose, and increases the path of blood sugar. At the same time, it inhibits the decomposition of liver glycogen and the process of gluconeogenesis to reduce the source of blood sugar, thereby lowering blood sugar.
Regulating fat metabolism
Insulin can promote the synthesis and storage of fat, inhibit the mobilization of fat by lipase, and thus reduce the concentration of fatty acids in the blood. When insulin is deficient, the fat decomposition process will be enhanced, resulting in increased blood lipids and ketone bodies, leading to ketoacidosis and acidosis.
Regulation of protein metabolism
Insulin can promote the cell’s uptake and utilization of amino acids, accelerate the transcription and replication process in the cell nucleus, accelerate the ribosome translation process , and then synthesize protein, while inhibiting protein decomposition, and promoting the body’s growth and development.
Effects on potassium ion transport
Insulin can promote the diffusion of potassium ions from the interstitial space into the tubular fluid. The imbalance of charge inside and outside the tubule caused by the active reabsorption of sodium ions creates a driving force for the secretion of potassium ions, promoting potassium-sodium ion exchange. However, when the exchange of hydrogen ions and sodium ions increases, the exchange of potassium ions and sodium ions will decrease.
Diabetes Insulin Application Cases
Patients with type 1 diabetes
Patients with type 1 diabetes must rely on insulin therapy to maintain their lives because of insufficient insulin secretion caused by the destruction of pancreatic B cells. For example, a 12-year-old boy was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Before starting insulin treatment, he had obvious symptoms of “three mores and one less”, namely polyuria, polydipsia, polyphagia and weight loss. After standardized insulin treatment, including regular monitoring of blood sugar and adjusting insulin dosage according to blood sugar levels, his blood sugar was gradually controlled, the above symptoms were significantly improved, and he was able to live and study normally.
Patients with type 2 diabetes
For patients with type 2 diabetes, insulin treatment is also required in some cases. For example, a 55-year-old patient who had been ill for many years, after strict diet control and oral treatment with a variety of hypoglycemic drugs, still had poor blood sugar control and developed complications such as diabetic nephropathy. After starting insulin treatment, blood sugar levels gradually stabilized and the progression of kidney disease was delayed to a certain extent.
Patients with gestational diabetes
A pregnant woman who was 28 weeks pregnant was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. In order to ensure the healthy development of the fetus and avoid the adverse effects of high blood sugar on the fetus, the doctor developed an insulin treatment plan for her. By finely adjusting the insulin dosage, the pregnant woman’s blood sugar was controlled within the normal range, and she finally gave birth to a healthy baby.
These cases show that for different types of diabetic patients, the rational use of insulin therapy can effectively control blood sugar, reduce the occurrence of complications, and improve the quality of life of patients. However, the use of insulin requires precise dosage adjustment and blood sugar monitoring according to individual conditions.
Precautions
Principles for determining dosage
The dosage of insulin therapy must be based on the patient’s specific condition, including blood sugar level, diet, amount of exercise, labor intensity, complications and emergency situations. Emphasis is placed on individualization, different for each person, different for each disease, and flexible control. Generally speaking, one unit of insulin injection can lower blood sugar by two to four milligrams. At the same time, blood sugar should be measured frequently in the early stage of using insulin. It is recommended to measure it every day to get a dose that suits you, and then the time for measuring blood sugar can be extended.
Eat on time
Patients must eat on time and in fixed amounts to avoid hypoglycemia. The duration of insulin action is closely related to changes in blood sugar. If meal times are irregular or the amount of food consumed is unstable, blood sugar fluctuations may occur, affecting the treatment effect.
Regularly check blood sugar
During the use of insulin, patients need to check their blood sugar regularly so that the insulin dose can be adjusted in time. Especially when blood sugar control is unstable or large doses of insulin are used, blood sugar changes should be closely monitored, including blood sugar before bedtime and at night. By regularly checking blood sugar, problems can be discovered in time and appropriate measures can be taken to ensure that blood sugar is controlled at an ideal level.
Other matters needing attention
- The injection site should be adjusted daily to avoid affecting insulin absorption due to local fibrosis.
- Patients using insulin should not stop suddenly to avoid the risk of ketoacidosis.
- Different types of insulin have different methods of use. For example, only regular insulin can be injected intravenously or dripped intravenously in solution. All other types of insulin can only be injected subcutaneously or intramuscularly and cannot be injected or dripped intravenously.
- Insulin preparations need to be stored in a refrigerator below 10°C to prevent decomposition and ineffectiveness in high temperature environments.
- The high-purity insulin produced in recent years has fewer reactions and stronger effects, so the dosage should be slightly reduced when used.
- Protamine zinc insulin often contains more protamine and should be mixed with regular insulin to make it long-acting. When drawing, you must first draw regular insulin and then protamine zinc insulin.
Importance and future development trends of diabetes insulin
Irreplaceable Position
Insulin plays an important role in the treatment of diabetes. For patients with type 1 diabetes, insulin is an essential drug to maintain life. Without insulin, the patient’s blood sugar cannot be effectively controlled, and life and health are seriously threatened. For patients with type 2 diabetes, when oral hypoglycemic drugs are ineffective or complications occur, insulin is also a key means to control blood sugar and delay the progression of the disease. In addition, insulin is also an indispensable treatment option for patients with gestational diabetes to ensure the health of the fetus.
Insulin can not only effectively lower blood sugar, but also reduce the occurrence of diabetes-related complications, such as neuropathy, eye, kidney and foot failure lesions, etc., significantly improving patients’ quality of life and life expectancy.
Development of new formulations
With the continuous advancement of science and technology, insulin preparations are also constantly innovating. For example, ultra-long-acting insulin analogs can provide more stable and lasting blood sugar control, reduce the number of injections, and improve patient compliance.
At the same time, the research and development of insulin inhalers has also made some progress. Administration by inhalation avoids the pain and inconvenience caused by traditional injections, providing patients with a new option.
Innovation in drug administration methods
In addition to inhaled insulin, research on oral insulin is also ongoing. Although there are still many challenges, such as gastrointestinal absorption and metabolism of drugs, once successful, it will greatly change the treatment experience of diabetic patients.
In addition, nanoparticle preparations that use nanotechnology to encapsulate insulin are also expected to achieve more precise drug delivery and more efficient absorption.
In the future, we have reason to believe that new formulations and innovative methods of insulin administration will continue to emerge, bringing more benefits to diabetic patients.