Oral insulin moves closer to reality as new technology overcomes gut absorption barrier
Latest news on WhatsApp أجدد الأخبار على واتساب
The long-standing goal of turning insulin into a pill has moved one step closer to reality after a research team at Kumamoto University in Japan developed a new drug delivery platform that helps insulin cross the intestinal wall, one of the biggest obstacles that has delayed oral insulin for decades.
The technology is based on a cyclic peptide capable of penetrating the small intestine, known as the DNP peptide, which was designed to help insulin reach the body after oral administration rather than injection.
According to the study, the researchers tested two approaches. The first combined a modified peptide with zinc-stabilized insulin hexamers, while the second chemically linked the peptide directly to the insulin molecule. In diabetic mouse models, both methods rapidly lowered blood glucose to the normal range, while once-daily dosing maintained glycemic control for three consecutive days.
The significance of the finding lies in the platform’s pharmacological bioavailability, which reached about 33% to 41% compared with subcutaneous injection. That could reduce the need for very large oral doses, one of the main practical barriers that has limited the development of oral insulin.
Still, the breakthrough has not yet reached patients. The study remains at the preclinical stage, was conducted in animals, and was published in Molecular Pharmaceutics. The researchers said the next step will involve testing in larger animals and in systems that better replicate the human intestine. For now, this should be understood as a promising laboratory advance rather than a pharmacy-ready treatment.
The development is important for people living with diabetes because a successful oral insulin treatment could eventually reduce the burden of daily injections, improve treatment adherence, and enhance quality of life. But clinical translation will still require time and broader testing to confirm safety and effectiveness in humans.
