Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Insulin: discovery and controversy.

Louis Rosenfeld1

  • 11417 East 52nd Street, Brooklyn, NY 11234 USA.

Clinical Chemistry
|November 26, 2002
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Frederick Banting and Charles Best discovered insulin, a pancreatic extract that effectively treats diabetes by lowering blood sugar. Their breakthrough overcame earlier challenges with impurities and toxicity, leading to a life-saving treatment for human diabetes.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Fifty years of Clinical Chemistry, three pioneering editors.

Clinical chemistry·2004
Same author

A century of growth: a century of progress.

Clinical chemistry·2004
Same author

Justus Liebig and animal chemistry.

Clinical chemistry·2003
Same author

Amiloride reduces stroke and renalinjury in stroke-prone hypertensive rats.

American journal of hypertension·2003
Same author

Estrogen promotes microvascular pathology in female stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats.

American journal of physiology. Endocrinology and metabolism·2003
Same author

William Prout: early 19th century physician-chemist.

Clinical chemistry·2003

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Endocrinology
  • Medical History

Background:

  • Early 20th-century attempts to extract pancreatic substances for diabetes treatment were hindered by impurities and toxicity.
  • Previous research failed due to enzymatic degradation of the active compound by trypsin.

Discussion:

  • Banting and Best hypothesized that ligating pancreatic ducts would preserve the islets of Langerhans, yielding a less toxic extract.
  • Their experiments successfully produced a pancreatic extract that reduced hyperglycemia and glycosuria in diabetic dogs.
  • A refined extraction method using the whole pancreas, coupled with purification by J.B. Collip and standardization by Eli Lilly and Company, enabled human treatment.

Key Insights:

  • The discovery of insulin revolutionized diabetes management, transforming it from a fatal condition to a manageable chronic illness.

Related Experiment Videos

  • The successful extraction and purification of insulin were critical steps in its clinical application.
  • Accurate blood glucose monitoring was essential for the effective use of insulin therapy.

    • Outlook:

    • The discovery paved the way for further research into diabetes and metabolic disorders.
    • Insulin therapy remains a cornerstone of diabetes treatment worldwide.
    • The collaborative nature of the discovery, involving Banting, Best, Macleod, and Collip, highlights the importance of interdisciplinary research.