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August 6, 1999

Insulin

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Question from Bangkok, Thailand:

I would like to know about the use of sodium insulin in children. I would like to know how it can be used for adults, also.

Answer:

From: DTeam Staff

As far as I can tell from a quick glance at Medline, sodium insulin is a dimer as opposed to zinc insulin which is a hexamer. It was thought that the dimeric form might be more easily absorbed through mucosal membranes (the lining of the interior of the nose), but in one animal study on nasal mucosa this was not the case. This form of insulin seemed to work well in an encapsulated slow release form. I could discover no studies in humans. My impression was that this avenue of research has been overtaken by work on the substituted insulins.

DOB