The molecule that proved a peptide could be a medicine at all. Everything else in this catalog is written in the language it opened.
Identity
- Class
- Two-chain peptide hormone (51 aa, A+B chains)
- Source
- Pancreatic islet beta cells
- Receptor
- Insulin receptor (a receptor tyrosine kinase)
Key properties
Evidence floorClinicalREF1CLIN1Approximate values for the native hormone; engineered analogs are often deliberately larger and far longer-acting. Each figure carries its own provenance tier, and the floor is the weakest of them - the Standard.
Mechanism
Secreted in response to rising glucose, insulin binds its receptor tyrosine kinase to drive glucose uptake in muscle and fat (via GLUT4) and storage as glycogen and lipid. It is the dominant anabolic signal of the fed state.
Reference notes
- Insulin's receptor is a tyrosine kinase, unlike the GPCRs used by most peptide hormones here.
- The incretins act upstream — they amplify glucose-stimulated insulin secretion rather than replacing insulin.
- It was the first peptide hormone sequenced and the first produced by recombinant DNA.
Regulatory status
United States · reviewed September 2026- Basis
- Recombinant human insulin and its analogs are approved across all diabetes indications.
Status describes the molecule as a drug substance under US law and is an editorial reading of the public record — approvals, trial registrations, and the FDA 503A bulk-substances list. It is not legal advice and it changes; the review date above is the last time the table was checked. Other jurisdictions are noted only where they differ materially.
Common questions
- What is Insulin?
- The anabolic master switch for glucose uptake and storage. Structurally it is Two-chain peptide hormone (51 aa, A+B chains).
- How does Insulin work?
- Secreted in response to rising glucose, insulin binds its receptor tyrosine kinase to drive glucose uptake in muscle and fat (via GLUT4) and storage as glycogen and lipid. It is the dominant anabolic signal of the fed state.
- How strong is the evidence for Insulin?
- PeptideHormone grades Insulin at the "Established" evidence tier — its mechanism and core effects are settled across the peer-reviewed literature. It is catalogued as an endogenous signal the body produces itself, and the tier is an editorial judgment about the public literature that can change as the science does.
- What is the half-life of Insulin?
- The reported circulating half-life of Insulin is ~4–6 min.
- Is Insulin FDA-approved?
- Yes — as of September 2026, Insulin is an approved prescription medicine in the United States. Recombinant human insulin and its analogs are approved across all diabetes indications. Status is US-centric and can change; check the FDA record for the current position.
In the literature
Live registry counts · retrieved- Ph 1660
- Ph 2773
- Ph 3800
- Ph 4822
Searched as Insulin. Counts are search hits from the primary registries, not a curated set and not a grade – a measure of how much work exists on Insulin, not how it turned out.
Selected literature
Curated peer-reviewed reviews, sourced from PubMed. Selected for relevance, not exhaustive — open any entry on PubMed for the full record and its primary citations.
- 1.100 years of insulin: celebrating the past, present and future of diabetes therapy · Nature medicine, 2021 · PMID 34267380
- 2.Insulin: The master regulator of glucose metabolism · Metabolism: clinical and experimental, 2022 · PMID 35066003
External references
Insulin in the public knowledge graph — the same entity resolved across the authoritative chemistry and protein databases.