Hydrophobic ion pairing of an insulin-sodium deoxycholate complex for oral delivery of insulin

Abstract

Shaoping Sun1–3, Na Liang2, Yoshiaki Kawashima3, Dengning Xia2, Fude Cui21School of Chemistry and Material Science, Heilongjiang University, Harbin, 2School of Pharmacy, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, China; 3School of Pharmaceutical Science, Aichi Gakuin University, Nissin, JapanAbstract: Insulin was complexed with sodium deoxycholate to form an insulin-sodium deoxycholate complex (Ins-SD-Comp) using an hydrophobic ion pairing method in aqueous phase to enhance the liposolubility of insulin. In order to obtain the maximal complexation efficiency, the molar ratio of sodium deoxycholate to insulin was found. The zeta potential method was used to confirm the optimal ratio for formation of Ins-SD-Comp. The structural characteristics of Ins-SD-Comp were assessed using the Fourier transform infrared method. The apparent partition coefficient of insulin increased upon the formation of Ins-SD-Comp. Based on the preliminary study, Ins-SD-Comp was encapsulated into poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles using an emulsion solvent diffusion method. The maximal encapsulation efficiency of Ins-SD-Comp into PLGA nanoparticles was 93.6% ± 2.81%, drug loading was about 4.8% ± 0.32%, and the mean diameter of the nanoparticles was 278 ± 13 nm. Biological activity and in vivo results revealed that the bioactivity of insulin was not destroyed during the preparation process. Ins-SD-Comp-loaded PLGA nanoparticles have the potential to reduce serum glucose levels and increase the oral bioavailability of insulin.Keywords: insulin complex, sodium deoxycholate, nanoparticles, zeta potential, oral bioavailability