Capsule instead of injection

New drug-delivery capsule may replace injections
Pill coated with tiny needles can deliver drugs directly into the lining of the digestive tract.
Anne Trafton, MIT News 

Most patients would prefer to take medications in the form of pills rather than injections. Unfortunately, many drugs, especially those based on proteins (for example, insulin), decompose in the gastrointestinal tract before they have time to be absorbed into its walls and get into the blood.

The use of micro- and nanoparticles for oral delivery of such drugs is immeasurably more expensive, and a new version of them has to be developed for each drug. The capsule proposed by Massachusetts scientists, covered with tiny needles, can serve to deliver a variety of drugs through the gastrointestinal mucosa.

To test the safety and effectiveness of the method, the researchers tested it on pigs. As a prototype, acrylic capsules 2 cm in length and 1 cm in diameter were used, in which an insulin tank covered with hollow stainless steel needles about 5 mm long was placed.

Capsules passed through the digestive tract of animals for more than a week, and no traces of tissue damage were found, which confirms the potential safety of this new approach. There should be no unpleasant sensations at the same time, because there are no pain receptors in the gastrointestinal tract (this can be confirmed by people who accidentally or foolishly swallowed sharp objects up to poorly chewed razor blades).

Microneedles injected insulin into the mucous membranes of the stomach, small intestine and colon, causing a decrease in glucose levels in the blood of animals faster and more effectively than with subcutaneous administration of the same amount of the drug.

To ensure complete safety and increase the effectiveness of their invention, the authors plan to use needles made of a biodegradable polymer, which, under the action of intestinal peristalsis, will be embedded in its walls and, slowly disintegrating, release drugs.

Although the researchers tested the prototype capsule with only insulin, they expect that this method will be useful for the delivery of other biological products, such as antibodies, vaccines, recombinant DNA and RNA.

Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru  

03.10.2014