In a good news for diabetes patients,
researchers have developed a smart network of nano-particles that can be
injected into the body to release insulin when blood-sugar levels rise.
The technique was able to maintain normal blood sugar levels for more
than a week in animal-based laboratory tests. "We've created a 'smart'
system that is injected into the body and responds to changes in blood
sugar by releasing insulin, effectively controlling blood-sugar levels,"
said Dr Zhen Gu, lead author of the paper. "We've tested the
technology in mice, and one injection was able to maintain blood sugar
levels in the normal range for up to 10 days," Gu said. Currently,
diabetes patients must take frequent blood samples to monitor their
blood-sugar levels and inject insulin as needed to ensure their blood
sugar levels are in the "normal" range. However, these injections can
be painful, and it can be difficult to determine the accurate dose level
of insulin. Administering too much or too little insulin poses its own
health risks. The new, injectable nano-network developed by researchers
at North Carolina State University, the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Children's
Hospital Boston is composed of a mixture containing nanoparticles with a
solid core of insulin, modified dextran and glucose oxidase enzymes.
When the enzymes are exposed to high glucose levels they effectively
convert glucose into gluconic acid, which breaks down the modified
dextran and releases the insulin. The insulin then brings the glucose
levels under control. The gluconic acid and dextran are fully
biocompatible and dissolve in the body. Each of these nanoparticle
cores is given either a positively charged or negatively charged
biocompatible coating. The positively charged coatings are made of
chitosan, a material normally found in shrimp shells, while the
negatively charged coatings are made of alginate, a material normally
found in seaweed. When the solution of coated nanoparticles is mixed
together, the positively and negatively charged coatings are attracted
to each other to form a "nano-network." Once injected into the
subcutaneous layer of the skin, the nano-network holds the nanoparticles
together and prevents them from dispersing throughout the body.
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