Insulin chewing gum: Need of the day for diabetic patients

Abstract

Chewing gum is an excellent drug delivery system for self medication as it is convenient, can be administered discreetly without water and offers the removal of ‘needle fear’ for the patients. As it releases insulin orally, it helps in tackling of the deprivation of insulin by digestive enzyme without adding digestive enzyme inhibitor. This can be done by binding of vitamin B12 and insulin. The vitamin B12 is protected with haptocorrin which is a salivary protein. Another chemical pathway takes over to help vitamin B12 pass into the bloodstream as haptocorrin reaches the intestines. The binding of vitamin B12 and insulin molecules makes the insulin to be protected on this supply chain. The insulin could ride all the way into the bloodstream, where it is released to do its work. By stimulating the brain, chewing gum also increases the releases of insulin. Finding simpler ways to deliver insulin into the blood stream is one important avenue for tackling the diabetes epidemic that is sweeping the developed world. The conditions in gastrointestinal tract may damage the body’s protecting and absorbing mechanisms for the valuable molecules. Chewing gum would be a better delivery method in humans.

Keywords: Chewing gum; diabetes mellitus; drug delivery system; insulin