Diabetes treatment: ultrasound instead of injection
Injections will not be required for the administration of insulin
ABC Magazine based on materials from North Carolina State University: Ultrasound, Nanoparticles May Help Diabetics Avoid the NeedleA device has been created that will allow patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus and type 2 diabetes patients using bolus therapy not to take several injections of insulin per day.
The new delivery system has been tested in vitro and in vivo.
According to the new technology, biodegradable and biocompatible nanoparticles containing insulin are injected into the patient's skin. Half of the nanoparticles are coated with positively charged alginate, and the other half with negatively charged chitosan. Both substances occur in nature and are completely biocompatible. In solution, nanoparticles with different charges exist in the form of a so-called "nano-network". After injection, the particles do not spread throughout the body due to this structure.
The coating of nanoparticles is porous. When they enter the bloodstream, insulin begins to be released from them. The "nanoset" holds nanoparticles in a subcutaneous reservoir. When a patient needs an insulin injection, according to the new technology, he uses a small ultrasound generator, which painlessly promotes the release of insulin.
The proposed mechanism of action of the generator on nanoparticles is as follows. Ultrasonic waves cause the formation of small gas bubbles in the tissues, temporarily disrupting the structure of the nanonet in the subcutaneous tissue. This promotes the transfer of insulin into the bloodstream, especially since the action of ultrasound "pushes" insulin out of the pores of nanoparticles. After the generator stops working, the nanoparticles form a nanoset again.
The inventors conducted the first test on laboratory animals with simulated type 1 diabetes.
Figure from the article by Di et al. Ultrasound-Triggered Regulation of Blood Glucose Levels Using Injectable Nano-Network,
published in the journal Advanced Healthcare Materials.
The only introduction of a nanoset made it possible to regulate blood glucose levels using a new technology for 10 days. Researchers expect that the application of the method in clinical practice will greatly facilitate the lives of millions of people suffering from this disease.
(For a similar nanonet regulating glucose levels even without ultrasound, on the feedback principle, and also successfully tested on mice, see the article "Injected nanonet controls blood sugar levels for 10 days", published six months ago – VM.)
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru26.11.2013