A pill instead of a scalpel
Recently, bariatric surgery has achieved success in the treatment of obesity, and also improves the course of type 2 diabetes. Meanwhile, the number of patients who agree to surgery, despite a sharp improvement in the quality of life and remission of diabetes, remains relatively low.
A group of researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital (Brigham and Women's Hospital) have been searching for a less invasive, but equally effective treatment for obesity and prevention or relief of diabetes symptoms.
Scientists have found a material that has the property of lingering in the small intestine, and then dissolving within a few hours. It became sucralfate, a drug approved by the FDA for the treatment of ulcerative lesions of the gastrointestinal tract. It was modified so that it covers the inner wall of the intestine and does not depend on the pH of the medium (acidic in the stomach and alkaline in the intestine).
The developed compound was called LuCI (Luminal Coating of the Intestine, insulation for the small intestine). It can be given in the form of a powder and placed in a capsule, convenient for ingestion.
In a preclinical study, LuCI was orally administered to rats. The thin film of the drug prevented the contact of nutrients with the intestinal villi, so the level of glucose in the blood after eating increased slightly. An hour after administration of LuCI to rats, it was 47% lower than in the control group. The group found that the effect was temporary and after three hours almost completely disappeared.
The authors are currently investigating the effect of short- and long-term LuCI intake on rat models of diabetes and obesity. They also plan to develop other areas of possible use of LuCI, in particular, for drug delivery.
Gastric bypass surgery is one of the most studied operations in the world, contributing to the improvement of diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension, sleep apnea and some forms of cancer. The ability to achieve the same effects without surgery by taking a pill is highly desirable not only for patients, but also for doctors.
Article Y. Lee et al. Therapeutic luminal coating of the intestine is published in the journal Nature Materials.
Aminat Adzhieva, portal "Eternal Youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru according to EurekAlert: 'Surgery in a pill' a potential treatment for diabetes.