Insulins

Insulin – Technical Information (Reference Only)

Chemical Information

• Synonyms:
  • Human insulin
  • Recombinant insulin
  • Insulin glargine, insulin lispro, insulin aspart, insulin detemir (brand/formulation names: Lantus, Humalog, Novolog, Levemir)

• Formal Name:
  Human insulin (protein hormone, 51 amino acids, 2 chains, A-chain: 21 aa, B-chain: 30 aa)

• CAS Numbers:
  • Human insulin: 11061-68-0
  • Insulin glargine: 77372-18-2
  • Insulin lispro: 132122-52-6

• Molecular Formula:
  C257H383N65O77S6 (human insulin)

• Molecular Weight:
  ~ 5808 Da (human insulin)

• Chemical Class:
  Peptide hormone; antidiabetic agent

• Appearance:
  White to off-white crystalline solid or solution (depending on formulation)

Structural / Spectral Information

• SMILES / Peptide sequence:
  Human insulin:

  A-chain: GIVEQCCTSICSLYQLENYCN
B-chain: FVNQHLCGSHLVEALYLVCGERGFFYTPKT


• InChI Key (human insulin):
  ZXJXKHSJPPZJCM-UHFFFAOYSA-N

• λmax (UV):
  ~ 276 nm (due to aromatic amino acids)

Solubility

• Water: Soluble (depends on pH and formulation)

• Buffers / saline: Soluble

• Alcohol / organic solvents: Insoluble or unstable

Formulation Types

• Rapid-acting: Insulin lispro (Humalog), insulin aspart (Novolog), insulin glulisine (Apidra)

• Short-acting: Regular insulin (Humulin R, Novolin R)

• Intermediate-acting: NPH insulin (Humulin N, Novolin N)

• Long-acting: Insulin glargine (Lantus, Basaglar), insulin detemir (Levemir), insulin degludec (Tresiba)

• Premixed: NPH + regular, lispro mix, aspart mix

• Common concentrations:
  • U-100 (100 units/mL) — most common
  • U-200, U-300, U-500 (for high-dose formulations)

Storage & Stability

• Storage Temperature: 2–8 °C (refrigerated)

• Room Temperature Use: 28–56 days depending on type after opening

• Shipping: Refrigerated preferred, ambient acceptable for short durations

• Stability: Varies by formulation; unopened insulin typically stable 1–2 years

Safety / Handling

• Administered via subcutaneous injection or insulin pump

• Avoid heat, freezing, or agitation

• Do not shake vials (especially suspensions) vigorously

• Use PPE when handling bulk powder in manufacturing