The formulation affects the controlled delivery of insulin, demonstrated by a reduction in blood glucose over 24 hours. © Shutterstock
An international team of scientists has developed a novel insulin delivery system for nasal administration. The study aims to provide an alternative to regular injections through the delivery of insulin via the nasal membrane in the form of a hydrogel. This route offers a relatively high bioavailability, avoidance of the first-pass effect (in which a drug’s concentration is reduced before it reaches the systemic circulation) and painless administration.
Considerable research effort has been dedicated to developing alternative non-invasive insulin delivery systems, including oral and transcutaneous administration. The major limitations of nasal delivery are the rapid mucociliary clearance of a drug to the nasopharynx, resulting in a short time span for its absorption, and the low permeability of the nasal membrane to peptides such as insulin because of tight junctions between epithelial cells.
Read the full article by Michael Parkin in Chemistry World.
A once-a-day dosage form for the delivery of insulin through the nasal route: in vitro assessment and in vivo evaluation
H. Nazar , P. Caliceti , B. Carpenter , A. I. El-Mallah , D. G. Fatouros , M. Roldo , S. M. van der Merwe and J. Tsibouklis
Biomater. Sci., 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C2BM00132B
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