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Insulin in Plants
Diabetes is a serious health condition as it can lead to several health complications. Due to the condition one can suffer from cardiovascular diseases, chronic renal failure as well as retinal damage which can cause blindness. The pancreas does not produce sufficient insulin to convert sugar into energy. This metabolic disorder has no cure. Patients suffering from it have to manage their blood sugar levels.
Importance of Insulin
To treat diabetes one has to either take medicines orally or take insulin injections. Insulin is very essential for a diabetic especially those suffering from Diabetes type 1. As of now insulin is injected into a patient.
Plant Insulin
Researchers from University of Central Florida, with Professor Henry Daniell being the lead, have engineered genetically tobacco plants with insulin gene. Then they administered the frozen dried plant cells to mice that were five-week old diabetic in the form of powder for about a period of 8 weeks. This experiment resulted in normal urine and blood sugar levels in the mice, with their cells being able to produce normal levels of insulin.
Apart from tobacco, the researchers also experimented with lettuce, the cultivation of which is rather cheap and can be used to produce insulin in capsule form. It would be much convenient for diabetic patients to take insulin capsules. Lettuce is a better substitute to tobacco as many hesitate to use tobacco due to the stigma attached to it.
Tobacco and lettuce appear to be a way out for diabetic patients who perhaps some day need not take the trouble to take insulin shots. Capsules made of plant insulin seem to be a better option.
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