| Pharmaceutical Application: |
Insulin Detemir |
| Applications: |
For the treatment of type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus. May be used in combination with oral anti-diabetic agents in type 2 diabetic patients who are not in adequate metabolic control with oral anti-diabetic agents alone. |
| Examples of Clinical Use: |
Type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus |
| Pharmacodynamics: |
Insulin is a natural hormone produced by beta cells of the pancreas. In non-diabetic individuals, a basal level of insulin is supplemented with insulin spikes following meals. Increased insulin secretion following meals is responsible for the metabolic changes that occur as the body transitions from a postabsorptive to absorptive state. Insulin promotes cellular uptake of glucose, particularly in muscle and adipose tissues, promotes energy storage via glycogenesis, opposes catabolism of energy stores, increases DNA replication and protein synthesis by stimulating amino acid uptake by liver, muscle and adipose tissue, and modifies the activity of numerous enzymes involved in glycogen synthesis and glycolysis. Insulin also promotes growth and is required for the actions of growth hormone (e.g. protein synthesis, cell division, DNA synthesis). The product is a long-acting insulin analogue with a flat and predictable action profile. It is used to mimic the basal levels of insulin in diabetic individuals. The onset of action of the product is 1 to 2 hours and its duration of action is up to 24 hours. Interestingly, it has a lower affinity (30%) for the insulin receptor than human insulin. |
| Mechanism of action: |
Insulin detemir binds to the insulin receptor (IR), a heterotetrameric protein consisting of two extracellular alpha units and two transmembrane beta units. The binding of insulin to the alpha subunit of IR stimulates the tyrosine kinase activity intrinsic to the beta subunit of the receptor. The bound receptor autophosphorylates and phosphorylates numerous intracellular substrates such as insulin receptor substrates (IRS) proteins, Cbl, APS, Shc and Gab 1. Activation of these proteins leads to the activation of downstream signaling molecules including PI3 kinase and Akt. Akt regulates the activity of glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) and protein kinase C (PKC), both of which play critical roles in metabolism and catabolism.Insulin detemir’s long duration of action appears to be a result of slow systemic absorption from the injection site and delayed distribution to target tissues. The myristic acid side chain on insulin detemir increases self-association and gives it a high binding affinity to serum albumin. These features slows its distribution into target tissues and prolongs its duration of action. |
| Affected organisms: |
Humans and other mammals |
| Targets: |
Target 1. Insulin receptor; Enzyme 1. Cytochrome P450 1A2; Enzyme 1. Serum albumin. |
