Insulin

Category: pharmacological

Aliases: Humulin, Novolin, Lantus (glargine), Tresiba (degludec)

Pharmacological Mechanism

51-residue disulfide-bridged peptide hormone. Binds insulin receptor (RTK) → GLUT4 translocation → glucose uptake + glycogen + fat + protein synthesis. Many analogs: rapid-acting (lispro, aspart, glulisine), short (regular), intermediate (NPH), long (glargine, detemir, degludec). Analogs vary by fatty-acid acylation, pI shift, or amino-acid substitution.

Half-Life (t½)

SC: 1h, IV: 0.1h

Target Organ Systems