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A team of researchers at Harvard University has developed a method for administering insulin through pills
A new method based on the pill that has not yet been tested in people could change the way people with diabetes administer insulin to maintain blood glucose levels.
Oral administration of insulin can not only improve the quality of life of the more than 40 million people with type 1 diabetes worldwide, but it could reduce many of the side effects of the disease, according to the developed method. by Harvard University and which publishes the PNAS.
Insulin administration by injection serves to maintain glucose levels, although many people have difficulty in following treatment, either because of fear of needles, or because they interfere with their usual activities, according to Samir Mitragotri, director of the study.
Until now, it has not been easy to find a method to administer oral insulin because the protein does not grow well when it is in the body. acidic environment of the stomach and has difficulty to be absorbed.
The approach developed by the team, aims to take insulin in an ionic liquid composed of choline, a nutrient similar to a protein and geranic acid, both are enclosed in a capsule acid resistant.
According to a statement from the university, it is "biocompatible, easy to produce and can be stored for up to two months at room temperature without degradation."
Mitragotri explained that once ingested, "the insulin must navigate a difficult obstacle course before it can be efficiently absorbed into the bloodstream."
Oral insulin, according to the study, would more accurately reproduce how a healthy pancreas produces and administers it to the liver. The team seeks to perform animal testing on compound formulation, as well as long-term toxicological and bioavailability studies.
In the event that everything goes well, the scientists hope to get approval for possible clinical trials with people.
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