Metabolic profiles in diabetic subjects treated with human insulin (Novo) and porcine insulin.

Twenty-four-hour metabolic profiles were used to compare the efficacy of twice-daily injections of purified porcine and human Actrapid and Monotard insulins (Novo) in six insulin-treated diabetic subjects. Although both insulin regimens resulted in similar plasma glucose profiles, values were lower during the night with porcine insulin treatment. These differences in plasma glucose response may represent an increased effectiveness of porcine insulin. Alternatively, evaluation of the plasma glucose profiles by the mean of the daily differences suggests that inherent day-to-day variations in diabetic control could explain the differences observed. Also, the potency of the porcine insulin used was greater than that of the human insulin and may have contributed to the differences in glucose response. No differences were observed in pyruvate, lactate, total ketones, and insulin profiles over the 24-h period. No adverse reactions to human insulin occurred.