Oral insulin drops under the tongue could replace diabetes injections
Diabetics sick of daily injections may have renewed hope for a less invasive alternative. Scientists at the University of British Columbia (UBC) have developed a new delivery method for insulin where users just place a few drops under their tongue.
For the new study, the UBC team developed a new system that might still be called oral insulin. Instead of being swallowed though, it takes the form of drops placed under the tongue. This method, known as sublingual administration, is useful for drugs that don’t survive the stomach. It’s effective because the tissue under the tongue contains a lot of capillaries, allowing the drug to quickly diffuse into the bloodstream.
Normally, this method wouldn’t work well for insulin because it’s a large molecule that can’t easily get through cells. So the team paired it with a cell-penetrating peptide (CPP), made from fish byproducts, that makes cells more porous.
The team tested the technique in mice. When paired with CPP, the insulin successfully reached the bloodstream and controlled blood glucose levels about as well as insulin delivered via injection. Without the guide peptide, the insulin tended to get stuck in the lining of the mouth.
Cell-penetrating peptides for transmucosal delivery of proteins
CPPs use endocytosis, direct translocation, and membrane destabilization to mediate intracellular transport.
Systemic delivery of proteins using novel peptides via the sublingual route
- Two novel derivatives of protamine were synthesized to facilitate sublingual delivery of proteins.
- These protamine derivatives enable delivery of proteins up to 150 KDa by simple mixing.
- The protamine derivatives promoted transcellular delivery by forming nanopores on cell surface.
Herein, two novel peptides (lipid-conjugated protamine and a protamine dimer) were synthesized to enable sublingual delivery of proteins through simple physical mixing with the payloads.
The novel peptides were mixed with insulin or semaglutide and sublingually delivered to mice for blood glucose (BG) control. The effects of these sublingual formulations were comparable to the subcutaneous preparations and superior to protamine. In addition to peptide drugs, the novel peptides were shown to enable sublingual absorption of larger proteins with molecular weights from 22 to 150 kDa in mice, including human recombinant growth hormone (rhGH), bovine serum albumin (BSA) and Immunoglobulin G (IgG). The novel peptides given sublingually did not induce any measurable toxicities in mice.
Other News
Olympic athletes turn to diabetes tech in pursuit of medals
Olympians including Dutch marathon runner Abdi Nageeye are using a new tool they hope will boost their medal chances this summer: tiny monitors that attach to the skin to track blood glucose levels.
Continuous glucose monitors or CGMs were developed for use by diabetes patients but their makers, led by Abbott (ABT.N), and Dexcom (DXCM.O), also spy opportunities in sports and wellness.
The Paris Olympics, which start on July 26, are an opportunity to showcase the technology - even though there is as yet no proof it can boost athletic performance.
Roche alleges counterfeit diabetes medical devices were sold on Amazon
- Roche in a lawsuit accused manufacturers and sellers based in India of selling counterfeit versions of its Accu-Chek devices on Amazon.
- Roche said the test strips are expired or nearly expired products that are repackaged with counterfeit labels bearing Roche’s registered U.S. trademarks and fake expiration dates.
Topical and oral peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α agonist ameliorates diabetic corneal neuropathy
Diabetic corneal neuropathy (DCN) is a common diabetic ocular complication with limited treatment options. In this study, we investigated the effects of topical and oral fenofibrate, on the amelioration of DCN.
Metabolic changes when diabetes mellitus (DM) is not controlled cause corneal nerves to degenerate and apoptose, resulting in diabetic corneal neuropathy (DCN)1,3. DCN affects 47–64% of DM patients and is characterized by corneal hypoesthesia, reduced blink rate, decreased reflex tear secretion, and tear film instability. These pathological alterations contribute to ocular surface breakdown, neurotrophic ulceration, and even sight-threatening corneal infection or perforation1.
