Non-invasive ways of administering insulin

Abstract

Background and aims: Insulin is crucial in the management of diabetes. However, requires injection which itself comes with some challenges. Alternative delivery routes have been investigated that are needle-free, with enhanced absorption and bioavailability. This review presents novel non-invasive insulin administration approaches that overcome some hurdles, as well as delineating their advantages and disadvantages.

Methods: Information was primarily gathered by employing various PubMed scholarly articles for real-world examples in addition to data extraction from supplementary manuscripts. Articles were evaluated between 1958 and 2022. An introductive approach was used to identify matters related to the concept of different ways of administering insulin.

Results: Approaches aim to administer insulin in a safe, stable, and easy to use form, whether via oral, buccal, intranasal, oral inhalation, transdermal, ocular, rectal, or vaginal routes. Some have been shown to clinically improve blood glucose levels, while others are still in the investigational stage.

Conclusion: Many approaches have been taken in an attempt to overcome physical barriers of insulin delivery. Some of these systems discussed may reach the market in the future and assist the millions of people who currently take subcutaneous injections of insulin.

Keywords: Absorption; Bioavailability; Delivery routes; Diabetes; Hypoglycemia; Insulin.