Insulin pills to replace the injections necessary for those suffering from diabetes appear closer to reality through new research by chemical and biomedical engineers at The University of Texas at Austin.
The breakthrough addresses the problem of pills surviving stomach acids to later deposit their contents in the opposing alkaline environment of the small intestine. The chemical answer: place the insulin in a polymer hydrogel sensitive to these changes in pH levels, according to Dr. Nicholas Peppas, professor of biomedical engineering, chemical engineering and pharmaceutics at the university.
His newly developed gel can quickly transport insulin through stomach acids and then actually linger in the small intestine where insulin needs to be ingested.
When the insulin travels through the stomach's acids, the insulin-loaded gel expands and protects its precious contents. After safe passage to the small intestine's alkaline surroundings, the pill not only shrinks and releases insulin, but attaches to the intestinal wall so its contents releases for the extended period necessary to maintain consistently healthy blood sugar levels.
Peppas, a National Academy of Engineering member who has spent the past 10 years studying this problem, revealed his discovery in the April 14 issue of the American Chemical Society's monthly peer-reviewed journal, Biomacromolecules.
According to the American Diabetes Association, 20.8 million children and adults in the country, or 7 percent of the population, have diabetes and the number continues to rise.
Previous work by Peppas had demonstrated the effectiveness of the hydrogel barrier of molecules methylacrylic acid and polyethylene glycol (PEG) linked to form a porous polymer network and securely hold insulin inside. But once the insulin safely arrived at its destination, it passed too quickly from the small intestine to provide sufficient insulin into the bloodstream.
Peppas' addition of a form of the popular health food, wheat germ agglutinin, converted the hydrogel's stealth quality among stomach acids into a lingering characteristic among the higher pH alkaline intestine.
"We successfully increased the hydrogel's ability to attach to the upper intestinal tract for 10 hours," Peppas said. "In that time, most insulin that is released hopefully would pass into the intestinal wall and go into the blood."
Peppas has a patent pending on the work.
Source: University of Texas at Austin
Related stories:
Potential to prevent loss of insulin in type 2 diabetes
There are two completely different diseases known as diabetes. Type 1 is an autoimmune condition that often starts in childhood or adolescence. Type 2 is a metabolic disorder sometimes associated with lifestyle. In both cases, the insulin-secreting beta cells in the pancreas die, albeit at different rates.
Protein data bank archives 50,000th molecule structure
The Protein Data Bank (PDB) based at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and the University of California-San Diego (UCSD) this month reached a significant milestone in its 37-year history. The 50,000th molecule structure was released into its archive, joining other structures vital to pharmacology, bioinformatics and education.
Human hormone blocker found to help prevent obesity and diabetes: study
A new study finds that a chemical found in the body is capable of promoting weight loss, improving insulin resistance and reversing diabetes in an animal model. The hormone is gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) receptor blockade.
Scientists unlock secrets of protein folding
A team led by biophysicist Jeremy Smith of the University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory has taken a significant step toward unraveling the mystery of how proteins fold into unique, three-dimensional shapes.
Repeated sessions of exercise burn more fat than a single, long session
Taking a break in the middle of your workout may metabolize more fat than exercising without stopping, according to a recent study in Japan. Researchers conducted the first known study to compare these two exercise methods—exercising continually in one long bout versus breaking up the same workout with a rest period. The findings could change the way we approach exercise. Who wouldn’t want to take a breather for that?
Scientists develop a general 'control switch' for protein activity
Our bodies could not maintain their existence without thousands of proteins performing myriad vital tasks within cells. Since malfunctioning proteins can cause disease, the study of protein structure and function can lead to the development of drugs and treatments for numerous disorders.
Power-boosting signal in muscle declines with age
As people age, they may have to exercise even harder to get the benefits afforded to younger folk. That's the suggestion of a report in the February issue of the journal
Cell Metabolism, published by Cell Press, showing that a signal that gives muscles a kind of metabolic boost in response to exercise is blunted in older animals.
New Miniaturized Device for Lab-on-a-Chip Separations
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology have developed an elegantly simple, miniaturized technique for rapidly separating minute samples of proteins, amino acids and other chemical mixtures. A low-cost prototype device described in a recent paper can run up to eight separations simultaneously in a space about the size of a quarter, highlighting the technique's potential for use in microfluidic "lab-on-a-chip" systems.