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Article: Edible Compound Mimics Insulin.(chemical L-783,281 from African fungus in Democratic Republic of Congo that helps with glucose metabolism)
- Article from:
- Science News
- Article date:
- May 8, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 Science Service, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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An obscure compound plucked from a central African fungus works like insulin to boost glucose metabolism, tests on mice show. Unlike insulin, however, the compound can stand up to the onslaught of digestive juices present in the mouth and stomach, and might therefore serve as an edible drug.
Several oral diabetes drugs are on the market already, but they all risk side effects. If the new chemical fares as well in human tests as it has in mice, it holds the potential for replacing these drugs or even insulin injections in some uses.
That's a big "if," of course. The substance is still untested in primates.
Nonetheless, the U.S. and European ...