Red Blood Cells for Glucose‐Responsive Insulin Delivery |
| |
| Authors: | Chao Wang Yanqi Ye Wujin Sun Jicheng Yu Jingqiang Wang David S Lawrence John B Buse Zhen Gu |
| |
| Affiliation: | 1. Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA;2. Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics and Center for Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA;3. Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA;4. Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA;5. Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA;6. Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA |
| |
| Abstract: | Glucose‐responsive delivery of insulin mimicking the function of pancreatic β‐cells to achieve meticulous control of blood glucose (BG) would revolutionize diabetes care. Here the authors report the development of a new glucose‐responsive insulin delivery system based on the potential interaction between the glucose derivative‐modified insulin (Glc‐Insulin) and glucose transporters on erythrocytes (or red blood cells, RBCs) membrane. After being conjugated with the glucosamine, insulin can efficiently bind to RBC membranes. The binding is reversible in the setting of hyperglycemia, resulting in fast release of insulin and subsequent drop of BG level in vivo. The delivery vehicle can be further simplified utilizing injectable polymeric nanocarriers coated with RBC membrane and loaded with Glc‐Insulin. The described work is the first demonstration of utilizing RBC membrane to achieve smart insulin delivery with fast responsiveness. |
| |
| Keywords: | diabetes drug delivery insulin glucose response red blood cell |
|
|
