Question

What is the advantage of clinical use of humulin over use of conventional ox or pig insulin __________________.

• A. It does not cause immunological problems
• B. It is cheaper for the patient
• C. It is produced by E. coli in our intestine
• D. There is no advantage

Answer 1

The correct option is A It does not cause immunological problems

• Before the advent of rDNA technology, insulin was obtained from the pancreas of pigs and cows. There was a slight structural difference of 1-3 amino acids between the animal insulin and human insulin.
• When his animal insulin was administered by a diabetic patient he developed antibodies against the animal insulin thereby causing allergic reactions. However, humulin produced through the rDNA technique is similar to that of human insulin and does not cause any immunological problems. It is thus advantageous over conventional types of insulin.

So the correct answer is option A.