Effective oral delivery of natural products is essential for sustained therapeutic effects for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) therapy. However, compromised bioavailability leads to undesirable effect and hypoglycemia. Herein, biomimetic nanoplatform based on mesoporous polydopamine (MPDA) and inulin gel were designed to enhance the oral delivery of 1-Deoxynojirimycin (DNJ). DNJ was adsorbed via mesopores and hydrogen bonding by MPDA and encapsulated within the inulin hydrogel. The MPDA@Inulin gel exhibited sustained-release properties that allowed DNJ to be released persistently in the small intestine, thereby enhancing its oral bioavailability. Moreover, the capacity of DNJ@MPDA@Inulin gel in controlling the blood glucose levels was evaluated in a high-fat diet induced T2DM model. Notably, after 4 weeks of daily oral administration, DNJ@MPDA@Inulin demonstrated enhanced efficacy in controlling blood glucose levels in T2DM model mice, improving insulin sensitivity. More important, this hydrogel nano-sustained release platform based DNJ delivery system could ameliorate glucolipid metabolism, enhance intestinal mucosal barrier and reshape gut microbial composition. Thus, it is anticipated that inulin-MPDA based oral delivery system have a potential for natural products delivery to improve bioavailability and alleviate T2DM.
Zhong et al. (Sun,) studied this question.