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ZoologyNEET 2025Applications in medicine: insulin, gene therapy, molecular diagnosis

Biotechnology and its Applications

Why can't insulin be given orally to diabetic patients?

  1. A.The human body will elicit a strong immune response
  2. B.It will be digested in the gastro-intestinal (GI) tract
  3. C.Because of structural variation
  4. D.Its bioavailability will be increased

Solution

Insulin is a peptide hormone; taken by mouth it would be digested by gastric and pancreatic proteases before it could act, so it must be injected.

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