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WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) – US scientists have developed a capsule that can administer oral doses of insulin and that could replace the injections that people with type 2 diabetes must make every day.
The study published in the Feb. 8 issue of the journal Science reported the capsule, the size of a blueberry and containing a compressed insulin needle.
When tested on animals, the researchers showed that they could deliver enough insulin to lower blood sugar levels to levels comparable to those produced by injections made through the skin.
The needle included a lyophilized compressed insulin and a biodegradable needle rod. The needle is attached to a compressed spring installed on a sugar disc, according to the study.
When the capsule is swallowed, the water in the stomach dissolves the disc of sugar, releases the spring and injects the needle into the wall of the stomach. The wall of the stomach does not have pain receptors.
Researchers at the Mbadachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) were inspired by a turtle called leopard tortoise. The tall, steep dome turtle can stand up when she rolls on her back.
They created a similar shape for the capsule that can orientate itself so that the needle is in contact with the lining of the stomach.
In this study, it takes about an hour for insulin to be completely released into the bloodstream.
In tests on pigs, the researchers showed that they could successfully deliver up to 300 micrograms of insulin. Later, they managed to increase the dose to 5 milligrams, which is comparable to the amount that a patient with type 2 diabetes should inject.
"Our motivation is to make it easier for patients to take medication, especially those who need an injection," said co-author Giovanni Traverso, badistant professor at Brigham and Women's Hospital and visiting researcher at MIT. .
"The most clbadic is insulin, but there are many others," Traverso said.
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