UCSF

Globally, millions of diabetic patients require daily life-saving insulin injections. Insulin heat-lability and fibrillation pose significant challenges, especially in parts of the world without ready access to uninterrupted refrigeration. Here, we have synthesized four human insulin analogs by conjugating ε-amine of B29 lysine of insulin with acetic acid, phenylacetic acid, alanine, and phenylalanine residues. Of these, phenylalanine-conjugated insulin, termed FHI, was the most stable under high temperature (65 °C), elevated salt stress (25 mM NaCl), and varying pH levels (ranging from highly acidic pH 1.6 to physiological pH 7.4). It resists fibrillation for a significantly longer duration with sustained biological activity in in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo and displays prolonged stability over its native counterpart. We further unravel the critical interactions, such as additional aromatic π-π interactions and hydrogen bonding in FHI, that are notably absent in native insulin. These interactions confer enhanced structural stability of FHI and offer a promising solution to the challenges associated with insulin heat sensitivity.