Biological activity of synthetic human insulin.

The biological activity of human insulin, prepared by total chemical synthesis, was compared in various tests in vivo and in vitro with that of natural human or pork insulin. The potencies of the synthetic and natural hormone, as determined by the mouse convulsion assay, by hypoglycaemic effect and diaphragm glycogen increase in fasted rats in vivo, or by stimulation of 14C-glucose metabolism in fat cells and binding to anti-insulin serum in vitro, did not differ significantly. It is concluded that this synthetic human insulin is biologically equivalent to the natural hormone.