Diabetes Mellitus: Hyperglycaemia
Diabetes Mellitus: Hyperglycaemia
Diabetes Mellitus: Hyperglycaemia
Symptoms
• The early symptoms of untreated diabetes mellitus are
related to elevated blood sugar levels, and loss of
glucose in the urine.
• High amounts of glucose in the urine can cause
increased urine output and lead to dehydration.
– increased thirst and water consumption.
• The inability to utilize glucose energy eventually leads to
weight loss despite an increase in appetite.
• Patients with diabetes are prone to developing infections
of the bladder, skin, and vaginal areas.
• Fluctuations in blood glucose levels can lead to blurred
vision. Extremely elevated glucose levels can lead to
lethargy and coma (diabetic coma).
Diagnosis
• The fasting blood glucose test is the preferred way to
diagnose diabetes.
• After the person has fasted overnight (at least 8 hours),
a single sample of blood is drawn and analysed.
• Normal fasting plasma glucose levels are less than 110
milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl).
• Fasting plasma glucose levels of more than 126 mg/dl
on two or more tests on different days indicate diabetes.
• If the overnight fasting blood glucose is greater than 126
mg/dl on two different tests on different days, the
diagnosis of diabetes mellitus is made.
• When fasting a blood glucose stays above 110 mg/dl,
but in the range of 110-126mg/dl, this is known as
impaired fasting glucose (IFG).
Dept. of Pharmacology, GMC 12
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Discovery of Insulin
• University of Toronto in 1921-22
• Physician Frederick Banting, graduate student
Charles Best, Professor of Physiology J.J.R.
Macleod, and biochemist J.B. Collip.
• Fourteen-year-old Leonard Thompson was the
first patient on whom insulin therapy was used.
• 1923 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine -
Banting and Macleod.
Insulin
• Insulin is produced in the beta cells of the
pancreatic islets.
• It is initially synthesized as a single-chain 86-
amino-acid precursor polypeptide, preproinsulin.
• Subsequent proteolytic processing removes the
amino terminal signal peptide, giving rise to
proinsulin.
• Proinsulin is structurally related to insulin-like
growth factors I and II, which bind weakly to the
insulin receptor.
A Chain
Other Tissues
• Muscles:
– Glucose uptake is slow
– Insulin increase facilitated transport of glucose via
Glut – 4 transporter
– Stimulates glycogen synthesis and glycolysis
• Adipose tissue:
– Increases glucose uptake via Glut-4
– Glycerol is formed that esterifies with fatty acids to
form triglycerides.
• Insulin slows the breakdown of protein for
glucose production (gluconeogenesis).
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Amritsar
Kinetics
• Pancreas secretes 40ug insulin/ hr
• Once insulin is secreted into the portal vein,
~50% is removed and degraded by the liver.
• Half life is 5-6 minutes.
• The remaining insulin enters the systemic
circulation and binds to its receptor in target
sites.
• The insulin receptor belongs to the tyrosine
kinase class of membrane-bound receptors.
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Amritsar
Human Insulin
• Made by
– enzyme modification of Porcine insulin
– Recombinant DNA technique
• Major forms of human insulin:
– Enzyme Modified Porcine – emp
– Proinsulin Recombinant in Bacteria- prb
– Precursor Insulin Yeast Recombinant- pyr
Fast acting
• Fast-acting (clear)
• Onset: 0.5–1 h
• Peak: 2–4 h
• Duration: 5–8 h
• Onset: 1–3 h
• Peak: 5–8 h
• Duration: up to 18 h
• NPH(isophane)
• Lente
Long-acting-Slow
• Onset: 3–4 h
• Peak: 8–15 h
• Duration: 22–26 h
• Ultralente
• Protamine zinc
Units
• One unit=the amount of insulin required to
reduce the blood glucose in a fasting rabbit to 45
mg/dL
• All commercial preparations are available in a
concentration of 100 units/ ml
• U-40 Insulins in a concentration of 40 Units/ml
• More concentrated solutions – 500 Units/ml are
available for resistant patients.
Adverse Effects
• Hypoglycaemia
– Corrected by oral glucose, iv glucose or iv
glucagon
• Dawn Phenomenon
• Allergic reaction
• Lipodystrophy
• Lipohypertrophy
• Insulin oedema
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Amritsar
Dawn Phenomenon
• Refers to increased glucose production
and insulin resistance brought on by the
release of counterregulatory hormones in
the early morning hours near waking.
• Dawn phenomenon is variable and
manifests as either high fasting glucose
levels or an increased insulin requirement
to cover breakfast compared to equivalent
meals at other times of day.
Other Modalities
• Inhaled Insulin
• Nasal Insulin
• Subcutaneous pellets
• Islet Cell Transplants
• Gene therapy
Treatment Modalities
• Diet and exercise
– 80 % of Type 2 diabetics are obese
– ⇓ caloric intake
⇑ physical exercise
– first line of treatment
– recent clinical trial showed that exercising
at least 30 minutes a day reduces Type 2
diabetes risk more effectively than
medication
• Sulfonylureas
• Repaglinide
Nateglinide
} Insulin secretagogues
• Biguanides
• Thiazolidinediones } Insulin sensitizers
• Acarbose
Miglitol
} Inhibitors of CHO
absorption
Sulphonylureas
• First generation: • Second generation:
– Tolbutamide – Glibenclamide
– Acetohexamide (glyburide)
– Tolazamide – Glipizide
– Chlorpropamaide – Gliclazide
– Glimepiride
• Highly potent (x100)
• Safe on long term use
GLUT2 Na+
K+ - Sulfonylureas
Na+ KIR K+
K+
Vm
K+
Ca2+ -
Pancreatic Ca2+
Voltage-gated
ß cell Ca2+ channel
Ca2+
Insulin granules
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Amritsar
Uses
• To control hyperglycaemia in type 2
diabetes mellitus not managed by diet and
lifestyle changes.
• More effective in patients > 40 years.
• Overweight patients
Adverse Effects
• Hypoglycaemia: the longer the half life of the
agent the more likely it is to induce
hypoglycaemia.
• Displacement from binding sites by other drugs
can exacerbate hypoglycaemia.
• Nausea & vomiting, cholestatic jaundice,
agranulocytosis, aplastic & haemolytic anaemia,
hypersensitivity and severe skin reactions.
• Disulfiram like effect.
• Hyponatremia by potentiating effect of ADH on
collecting ducts-useful in Diabetes Insipidus.
Biguanides
• Metformin
• Phenformin – now withdrawn
• Antihyperglycaemic drug
• Does not cause insulin release
• Does not cause hypoglycaemia
• Decreases basal hepatic glucose production
• Activates AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-
a major cellular regulator of lipid and glucose
metabolism.
• Increased action of insulin on muscle and fat.
• Decreased absorption of glucose from intestine.
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Amritsar
Contraindications
• Renal impairment
• Hepatic disease
• Alcoholics
• History of lactic acidosis
• Cardiac failure
• Hypoxic lung disease
• Pregnancy
• Children
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Amritsar
Side effects
• Diarrhoea
• Abdominal discomfort
• Nausea
• Metallic taste
• Anorexia
Thiazolidinediones
• Pioglitazone and Rosiglitazone
• Insulin sensitizing compounds
• Selective agonists for the peroxisome
proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ),
a member of the superfamily of nuclear hormone
receptors that function as ligand-activated
transcription factors.
• The PPAR family, functions as receptors for fatty
acids and their metabolites (e.g. eiconasoids)
and, consequently, plays a critical physiological
role the regulation of glucose, fatty acid, and
cholesterol metabolism.
Dept. of Pharmacology, GMC 60
Amritsar
Dept. of Pharmacology, GMC 61
Amritsar
Meglitinides
• Repaglinide and Nateglinide
• Non-sulfonylurea insulin secretagogues
characterized by a very rapid onset and short
duration of action.
• Directly stimulate first-phase insulin secretion in
the pancreatic beta cells
• Rapid release of insulin and quick onset of
action, total duration is short.
• No weight gain
• No hypoglycaemia
Dept. of Pharmacology, GMC 64
Amritsar
Common adverse events
• Hypoglycemia
• Upper respiratory tract infection
• Rhinitis
• Bronchitis
• Headache
α-Glucosidase Inhibitors
• Acarbose and Miglitol
• Oral anti-hyperglycemic compounds
• Block the enzymatic degradation of complex
carbohydrates in the small intestine and slows
their absorption.
• Competitive, reversible inhibitors of pancreatic
α-amylase and membrane-bound intestinal α-
glucosidase hydrolase enzymes present in the
brush border of the intestine.
• Used as adjunctive therapy
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Other agents
• Herbals
– Mormordica charantia bitter gourd
– Trigonella foenum-graecum – fenugreek
• Nutraceuticals
– Antioxidants and vitamins
• Alpha lipoic acid, vit. E, Niacin, L-arginine, COq10
– Minerals and trace elements
• Chromium, vanadium, magnesium
– Polyunsaturated fatty acids
Biguanides
• Obese type 2 DM
• Insulin resistant
• Advantages
– No weight gain
– Decreased risk of hypoglycaemia
– Can be combined with other OHAs for added
benefit
• Disadvantages
– GI side effects
– Risk of lactic acidosis
Dept. of Pharmacology, GMC 70
Amritsar
Thiazolidinediones
• Insulin resistant
• Overweight
• Advantages
– Decreased risk of hypoglycaemia
– Decreased circulating insulin
• Disadvantages
– High cost
– Weight gain
– Liver toxicity?
– Slow onset of action
Combination Therapy
• Sulphonylurea + Biguanide OR
Thiazolidinediones OR α-glucosidase
inhibitor
• Biguanide + meglitinide
• Biguanide + thiazolidinedione
• Sulphonylurea + Biguanide +
thiazolidinedione (OR α-glucosidase
inhibitor)
• Insulin + Oral agent
Dept. of Pharmacology, GMC 72
Amritsar