Preparation and characterization of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles carrying insulin and gallic acid for insulin oral delivery

Although nanoparticles carriers for oral delivery of insulin have been researched for many years, this method still fails to solve issues with toxicity, biocompatibility, and degradability in the organism. We therefore developed an innovative conjugation system to solve this problem. Nano hydroxyapatite (HAP) particles were used as the core, then polyethylene glycol (PEG) was wrapped onto the surface of hydroxyapatite, and, finally, insulin (INS) and gallic acid (GA) were conjugated with PEG. PEG functionalized HAP was increased the hydrophilicity of the nanoparticles, also protected them from degradation in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Most importantly, the in vivo absorption of nanoparticles in rat small intestines revealed that HAP-PEG-GA-INS was absorbed by the small intestine epithelium. The blood glucose of the type 1 diabetes (T1D) rats that were given intragastrically HAP-PEG-GA-INS showed an obvious downward trend. Overall, we synthesized a safe, non-toxic, and effective oral insulin delivery system.