Insulin replacement substance?

1999/05/16 Azkune Mendia, Iñaki - Elhuyar Fundazioa

• Osasuna
• Farmakologia

Although there is still no reason to be too optimistic, it seems that patients with diabetes may have a better future. In fact, according to the journal Science, a group of researchers have discovered a substance that can have the same effect as insulin and be taken in pill form.

Insulin is a peptide made up of several amino acids, but by disappearing in digestion, diabetics should be taken from the veins. However, from now on this may be modified, as a team of researchers have discovered a substance that is influenced by insulin and can be administered orally. The substance has been extracted from a fungus abundant in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Laboratory exercises showed that the substance behaves similarly to insulin, while trials with rats showed that it significantly reduced the amount of glucose in the blood.

Even though researches are going to take many years and that thinking of a miracle pill for diabetics in 10-15 years would be too much, it is clear that the discovery can open up a new hopeful research path

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