porcine insulin

Porcine insulin is a biologic drug derived from the pancreas of pigs. It is a protein hormone composed of alpha and beta chains processed from pro-insulin and forms a hexameric structure. Porcine insulin closely resembles human insulin in structure and function, differing by only one amino acid. Its primary mechanism of action is to facilitate the uptake of glucose into cells by binding to the human insulin receptor, thereby lowering blood glucose levels. It is used as replacement therapy for patients with diabetes mellitus who require exogenous (injected) insulin due to insufficient endogenous production. Porcine insulins are available in various formulations (short-acting, intermediate-acting, mixed) and have historically been important for people with allergies or sensitivities to recombinant human insulins[1][2][5][8].

Brand names

Hypurin Porcine

Other names

pork insulinpurified pork insulininsulin porkanimal insulin