blackmamba123
Harmless
Posts: 8
Registered: 18-5-2015
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
A potential cure to diabetes?
I know this might sound strange, but forgive me if I sound silly. Sucrose has the formula C12H11O22. Would it be possible to inject some sort of
fluid/compound into your bloodstream that will have some sort of dipole-dipole interaction with the sucrose molecule? Like could it have enough
positive/negative force to pull apart the sucrose molecule, potentially making it a whole different compound?
Again, forgive me if I am totally wrong, just give some insight on that matter.
Thanks!
|
|
|
Mailinmypocket
International Hazard
Posts: 1351
Registered: 12-5-2011
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
The issue here is that sugar travels through the bloodstream as glucose though, not sucrose. This is what "blood sugar" is.
Note to self: Tare the damned flask.
|
|
|
phlogiston
International Hazard
Posts: 1376
Registered: 26-4-2008
Location: Neon Thorium Erbium Lanthanum Neodymium Sulphur
Member Is Offline
Mood: pyrophoric
|
|
Ignoring that issue, essentially you are just proposing to inject something that reacts with glucose.
It would have to be very specific, as you would not want it to react with other components of your blood. Therefore, likely an enzyme.
Depending on the product of the reaction, it would probably be a very bad idea or have no effect (your body will quickly convert the product back to
glucose).
Say, for instance, you inject glucose oxidase. The result will be a massive amount of hydrogen peroxide in your bloodstream as glucose is converted
into gluconate.
The gluconate will then mostly be converted back into glucose eventually.
-----
"If a rocket goes up, who cares where it comes down, that's not my concern said Wernher von Braun" - Tom Lehrer |
|
|
Tungsten.Chromium
Harmless
Posts: 41
Registered: 9-9-2014
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
I've been a type 1 for about 18 years now and while I can see a possibility in your idea, I don't think we'll see it in our lifetimes.
This is my idea that I've sort of built off yours
First)The compound would have to be able to replace insulin's job of converting glucose into a form your cells can use.
Second)Just like how insulin gets used up as it works, the compound would do the same. Now since it wouldn't be insulin, maybe there is a way you
could design it so the body recycles the by-product of its reaction with glucose back into the original compound.
Third)The compound would have to be able to regulate it's own concentration in the blood based on blood glucose concentration. This is where I see
the biggest problem. Designing the compound so it can make itself active or inactive depending on glucose concentration sounds like a nightmare.
Would have to make sure the body doesn't excrete it in its inactive form either.
Thats a HUGE summary too, I'm sure theres 10 million other little details that complicate things, theres a reason we still don't have a cure for it
lol. I'm only just now taking general chemistry classes at college and studying orgo in my free time, but the concept of solid phase peptide
synthesis has been grabbing my attention. I feel like there's something in there that could be used, who knows.
Prosit!
|
|
|
![[*]](images/xpblue/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
