Sulfated Insulin in Mild, Moderate, Severe and Insulin-resistant Diabetes Mellitus

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Abstract
Moloney and co-workers prepared sulfated insulin and showed it to be less antigenic and less neutralizable by antibodies than unmodified insulin. The present study compares sulfated insulin with commonly used insulins (Regular, Protamine Zinc, Lente and NPH) in twenty-four hospitalized adult diabetics. The bases of comparison were units of insulin per day, three daily blood glucose levels and urine glucose content. In six severe, ketosis-prone diabetic patients, sulfated insulin in approximately equal doses failed to control the disease nor did the usual long acting insulins. In four mild diabetic patients sulfated insulin had no apparent advantage over other insulins. For nine of twelve moderate diabetic patients less or equal units of sulfated insulin provided better control. In two insulin resistant patients sulfated insulin very greatly reduced insulin requirements (to 5% and 37%) and provided much better control. Hypoglycemia was no more frequent with sulfated insulin and there were no important toxic side effects. It appears to be a promising advance in the treatment of insulin resistant diabetes and prolonging its action may further enhance its usefulness.