Lettuce was used to make insulin medicine for diabetes patients in the USA 06/15/2023 22:15

Lettuce leaves were able to produce proinsulin, which can be taken orally. article about it published In biomaterials.

Insulin is an essential hormone, and its failure to produce or function in the body leads to diabetes. As a result, people with diabetes are forced to take insulin regularly, usually in the form of a drug administered through a needle. In addition, injectable insulin is mainly produced using special bacteria or yeast, which is a complex and expensive process.

Now experts at the University of Pennsylvania have genetically engineered lettuce to produce proinsulin. Proinsulin is the precursor to insulin, which is usually much less effective when administered in place of insulin. However, the scientists edited the proinsulin-producing gene so that it could “mature” and turn into insulin, not only in the pancreas but also in other organs. Proinsulin produced from lettuce has been shown to be effective in mice, where it can rapidly lower blood sugar levels.

Expression of proinsulin in lettuce was high up to 12 mg/g dry weight or 47.5% of total leaf protein. At the same time, the salad does not need additional processing and can be taken immediately as therapy. Lettuce’s cell walls protect insulin from the aggressive environment of the stomach, allowing it to reach the intestines. Orally administered proinsulin reduced blood glucose levels by up to 12.4% at 30 minutes and by up to 67.7% at 210 minutes. The gradual decrease in blood glucose levels is related to the time it takes for the bioencapsulated protein drug to pass through the gastrointestinal tract and be processed by the commensal microbes in the gut.

Ripe lettuce can be stored dried or frozen. The authors hope their product will significantly improve the quality of life of diabetics and save money, but a series of human trials will be required before that.

ancient biologists suggested Fight pest flies by editing their genomes.