Abstract: Diabetes mellitus, a chronic metabolic disorder, requires lifelong insulin therapy, typically administered via subcutaneous injections. Despite its efficacy, the invasive nature of injections and patient non-compliance highlight the need for alternative non-invasive delivery systems. This study proposes the development of a novel oral insulin delivery system using PEGylated liposomal nanocarriers functionalized with sodium taurocholate, aiming to enhance insulin bioavailability, stability, and therapeutic efficacy. PEGylation serves to protect insulin from enzymatic degradation in the gastrointestinal tract, while sodium taurocholate facilitates improved absorption by modulating intestinal permeability. The prepared formulation was characterized for size, morphology, and encapsulation efficiency, followed by in vitro studies evaluating its protective ability against enzymatic degradation and absorption enhancement. In vivo pharmacokinetic studies in diabetic animal models assessed the bioavailability, therapeutic efficacy, and controlled release of the oral insulin formulation. The results of this study are expected to demonstrate that the PEGylated liposomal insulin formulation offers a promising, non-invasive alternative to subcutaneous injections, improving patient compliance and optimizing insulin therapy.
Vikal et al. (Fri,) studied this question.