US researchers have developed an oral insulin capsule

Recently, it is reported that US researchers have developed an oral insulin capsule, which can transport insulin to the small intestine wall for absorption In the future, it is expected to replace subcutaneous injection for daily use of type 2 diabetes patients
According to a study recently published in the British Journal of Nature Medicine, this kind of capsule has a micro needle inside and a polymer material outside, which can withstand the acidity of gastric juice; when the acidity in the small intestine decreases, the capsule will open and spring open three folding arms, each of which is equipped with a 1 mm long needle, which contains insulin The elasticity just makes the needle stick in The most superficial layer of small intestine tissue and drug release (http:// Experiments with pigs showed that the capsules could carry the same amount of insulin as the subcutaneous injection In addition, in order to reduce the risk of the capsule blocking the intestinal tract, the needle will dissolve in a few hours after it enters the intestinal wall, and the folding forearm will be disconnected Giovanni travelso, one of the authors and assistant professor of MIT, said that the small intestine has a large surface area, which is equivalent to a tennis court and lacks pain receptors, so it is suitable for the insulin capsule At present, many protein drugs, including insulin, can only be administered by injection, but not by oral administration, otherwise, the drugs will decompose in the gastrointestinal tract before they take effect The researchers said the new method could also be used for other protein drugs such as hormones, enzymes, antibodies or RNA drugs.