Insulin is a two-chain peptide hormone of 51 residues joined by two disulfide bonds, with a third disulfide inside the A chain. This page covers human insulin and the analogs insulin glargine and insulin lispro, each with a USP monograph.
Insulin testing at Vanguard Laboratory: purity, quantity and identity from $250 per vial, with results in 3 to 5 business days; sterility 14 days.
On this page: Testing · Compound data · Sequence · How we test it · Forms and references · FAQ
Every package includes purity, quantity, identity and a solubility check. Raw powder purity is $200 for a 50 mg sample.
$250
$550
$700
Each test can be added to a package or ordered on its own. Results arrive in 3 to 5 business days.
Included in every package
How pure the Insulin is and how much is in the vial: purity in area percent, quantity in mg per vial against the label. Details
Included in every package
Whether the sample contains Insulin, compared with a reference standard. Reported as match or no match. Details
Quoted
Whether the molecular mass matches Insulin, which helps catch look-alike products. Details
$70
How much TFA, acetate or chloride the powder contains. Other salt forms are quoted. Details
$150
Sterility for injectables: 1–10 unopened vials at the same sterility-test price. Bioburden for other forms. Included in Gold and Elite. Details
$200 per vial
Purity and routine identity by retention time and UV spectrum against a reference standard, without quantity: no mg per vial, concentration or label-claim result. 1 vial; 3 to 5 business days. LC-MS is quoted separately. Details
$360 per vial
Screen for semaglutide, tirzepatide and retatrutide without naming the expected peptide. Identity, amount and purity where reportable. Blind GLP-1 panel
Quoted
Which cysteines are paired, by Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry of the digested peptide.
Quoted
Charge, polarity and size variants by ion-exchange, hydrophilic interaction and size-exclusion chromatography, alongside routine HPLC purity.
Quoted
Hydrolysis and amino acid analysis, to confirm composition and net peptide content.
Quoted
D- and L-forms of the amino acids, to check for racemization.
Orders of ten or more samples are 10% off.
two-chain peptide hormone, 51 residues (human)
Human and lispro: C257H383N65O77S6
Glargine: C267H404N72O78S6
Human and lispro: 5807.6 g/mol
Glargine: 6063.0 g/mol
11061-68-0 (human)
160337-95-1 (glargine)
133107-64-9 (lispro)
Human insulin A chain (21):
Human insulin B chain (30):
Insulin lispro: B28 lysine and B29 proline are swapped (B chain ends Lys-Pro-Thr), giving the same formula and mass as human insulin.
Insulin glargine: A21 is glycine instead of asparagine, and two arginines are added to the end of the B chain (B31, B32).
Disulfides: A6-A11, A7-B7 and A20-B19.
Insulin runs on the lab’s peptide purity and quantity method: reversed-phase HPLC on a C18 column with a water and acetonitrile gradient containing 0.1% TFA, and UV detection at 214 to 220 nm. Purity is the main peak’s share of the total peak area, quantity is measured against a reference standard, and identity is confirmed by retention time and UV spectrum against the same standard. LC-MS confirmation of the mass is quoted separately.
Full testing to the USP monographs for Insulin Human, Insulin Glargine and Insulin Lispro is available and quoted, including identification by HPLC retention time and peptide mapping, assay by HPLC with UV detection and related compounds by HPLC.
Send 1 vial for Level 1 Silver, 3 vials for Level 2 Gold or 4 vials for Level 3 Elite; raw powder purity needs a 50 mg sample. Results arrive in 3 to 5 business days; sterility takes 14 days.
Yes. Lispro swaps the proline and lysine at B28 and B29, so both have the same mass. HPLC separates them by retention time against reference standards, and peptide mapping (monograph testing, quoted) confirms the swap.
Yes. Glargine carries two extra arginines and a glycine at A21, so it is about 255 Da heavier and separates from human insulin by HPLC.
USP monographs also exist for these insulin titles. The $250 identity, purity and quantity test applies to each; testing to the monograph for any of them is available and quoted. Tell us the title your specification names.
Insulin aspart has aspartic acid in place of proline at B28, so it differs from human insulin in mass and separates by HPLC. The zinc and isophane titles are insulin suspensions; tell us the form so the sample is prepared correctly.
Start an order online, or send the compound name and the tests you need for a quote.
