Researchers have developed a new type of oral insulin capsule

U.S. researchers have developed an oral insulin capsule that transports insulin to the small intestine wall for absorption and is expected to replace subsultural injections for everyday use in people with type 2 diabetes.
A recent study published in the British journal Nature Medicine showed that the capsule had miniature needles inside, a polymeric material wrapped around it to withstand stomach fluid acidity, and that when acidity in the small intestine decreased, the capsule opened and bounced off three folding arms, each containing a 1mm-long needle containing insulin, which elastically allowed the needle to reach the top of the small intestine tissue and release the drug.
experiments with pigs by researchers showed that capsules can carry the same amount of insulin as injections under the skin. In addition, to reduce the risk of capsules clogging the intestines, the needle dissolves within hours when it is stuck in the small intestine wall and the folding arm breaks.Giovanni Traverso, an assistant professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and one of the authors of the
paper, said the small intestine has a large surface area that is the size of a tennis court and lacks pain-feeling subjects, which are suitable for this insulin capsule.
, including insulin, many protein drugs can only be given by injection and other means, but not by conventional oral means, otherwise the drug will break down in the gastrointestinal 20s before it takes effect. The new method could also be used for other protein drugs such as hormones, enzymes, antibodies or RNA drugs, the researchers said. (Source: Xinhua News Agency Zhou zhou)
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