PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 24 (UPI) -- Many diabetes patients have to inject insulin to manage their blood sugar, but researchers have developed a pill that may take the pain and inconvenience out of managing diabetes.
A pill containing insulin could succeed where other non-injected insulin treatments for diabetes have failed to take hold among doctors and patients, according to a presentation by researchers from Niagara University at the American Chemical Society's fall meeting in Philadelphia Wednesday.
All type 1 diabetes patients have to inject insulin on a daily basis, and many type 2 diabetes patients' condition progresses to a point where they are at least occasionally required to inject insulin.
Previously, an inhalable form of insulin was developed and marketed but sales were disappointing and its future is in doubt. Other researchers have worked on packaging insulin inside a polymer-coated pill to protect it from stomach acids and allow it to reach the bloodstream.
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Researchers at Niagara developed and patented vesicles called Cholestosomes, which are made of lipid molecules, normal building blocks of fat, that appear to survive the stomach acids and may be the key to ending diabetes patients' dependence on injections for insulin.
"Most liposomes need to be packaged in a polymer coating for protection," Dr. Lawrence Mielnicki, a researcher at Niagara University, said in a press release. "Here, we're just using simple lipid esters to make vesicles with the drug molecules inside."
In the study presented today, researchers explained computer modeling showing the lipids form neutral particles resistant to attack from stomach acid, allowing the intestines to recognize them as something to be absorbed by the body. The Cholestosomes then pass into the bloodstream, where they are broken down and insulin is released.
After determining the ideal pH and ionic strength to package proper amounts of insulin, the researchers tested Cholestosomes with cells in lab dishes. Those that worked were then tried with rats, and the researchers found certain formulations were more effective than others at delivering insulin to the bloodstream.
Future research will test the method in other animals before planning for human trials, the researchers said.
