- Recent research has highlighted the potential risks of rapid insulin absorption from insulin pens, possibly leading to hypoglycemia, while automated pumps remain costly and inaccessible.
- Now, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Dental Medicine propose a potential solution with a plant-based oral delivery of insulin.
- The plant-based alternative contains all three essential peptides, shields insulin through plant cell walls, and regulates blood sugar levels similar to natural insulin, reducing hypoglycemia risk.
- This innovation could revolutionize diabetes treatment, providing affordable and effective medication with global accessibility.
The current methods of insulin delivery present some risk for patients with diabetes, despite their life-saving role.
It is known that the administration of insulin through insulin pens can lead to the rapid absorption of insulin into the bloodstream, potentially causing hypoglycemia — lower-than-optimal blood sugar levels.
Although automated insulin pumps offer a solution by providing accurate insulin delivery and reducing this risk, they are costly and accessible to only a fraction of diabetes patients worldwide.
However, new research, published in the journal Biomaterials, suggests that a plant-based oral delivery method of proinsulin could address these limitations.
Despite the long-term use of clinical insulin, it lacks one of the three peptides found in natural insulin.
To address this issue, the researchers developed a plant-based insulin that includes all three peptides and can be taken orally.
The robustness of plant cell walls shields insulin from stomach acids and enzymes until it is broken down by gut microbes. Subsequently, the released insulin is transported to the liver through the gut-liver axis.
In this new research, conducted in mouse models of diabetes, the research team observed that their plant-based insulin effectively regulated blood sugar levels within 15 minutes of ingestion, exhibiting a…
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