In an ideal world, managing diabetes would not require insulin injections and would be as easy as taking a pill. A team of scientists has now demonstrated an oral tablet that is self-propelled by a chemical ‘micromotor’ to deliver insulin to the colon of rats.
Diabetics usually need to carefully manage their blood sugar levels with regular insulin injections. Oral medications are, of course, much easier, but unfortunately insulin is a fragile molecule that is broken down by stomach acid before it reaches the intestines and is absorbed into the bloodstream.
Oral insulin has long been an important goal for scientists, with some formulations in advanced stages of human clinical trials. Recent studies have explored ways to encapsulate hormones in protective coatings to withstand the extreme environment of the stomach, but once insulin reaches the intestine it still passively diffuses through the membrane into the bloodstream. increase. This is not the most efficient method.
Other studies have shown nanoparticles that enter the bloodstream and release insulin only when glucose levels rise, capsules with microneedles that inject insulin directly into the stomach mucosa, or holes in the intestinal mucosa. I tried to circumvent this problem by using a robot capsule that digs a
For new research, Chinese scientists have developed an oral drug that not only safely transports insulin to the colon, but also plays an active role in digging into the intestinal wall. Thanks to what we call chemical micromotors.
The 3 mm long tablets contain magnesium microparticles, a solution containing a layer of insulin and liposomes mixed with baking soda and finally coated with an esterified starch solution. Each of these ingredients has a special role.
The starch protects the tablet as it makes its way through the stomach to the colon. Once there, the tablet decomposes until the microparticles are exposed, and the magnesium reacts with water to produce a stream of hydrogen gas bubbles. This propels the tablet towards the inside of the colon where it is absorbed more efficiently.
In tests in rats, the team found that these oral insulin tablets were able to significantly lower glucose levels in the animals’ bloodstream for over five hours. It was almost as low as the level
While there is still a lot of work to be done, the team says the system is not only a step towards oral insulin tablets, but can be used to create oral dosage forms for other drugs traditionally delivered by injection. says.
A study was published in a journal ACS Nano.
Source: American Chemical Society
