Diabetes Mellitus, a syndrome of disordered metabolism, characterised by abnormal elevation in blood glucose level, has become a life-threatening condition for many people. Current means of therapy for Diabetes Mellitus do not mimic the normal physiological pattern of insulin release. Oral delivery is the preferred route of administration due to its non-invasive nature. Oral delivery of insulin presents an overview of Diabetes Mellitus, and discusses the strategies and techniques adopted for oral delivery of insulin. This title begins with an introductory chapter on symptoms, complications and therapy for Diabetes Mellitus. Subsequent chapters cover the various routes for administering insulin; the challenges and strategies of oral delivery; experimental techniques in the development of an oral insulin carrier; lipids; inorganic nanoparticles and polymers in oral insulin delivery; and a summary and presentation of future perspectives on oral delivery of insulin. Presents an overview of Diabetes Mellitus Includes a discussion of various strategies and techniques adopted for oral delivery of insulin Presents an update of research in the field

Parenteral administration remains the mainstay of drug administration for protein therapeutics. However, for diseases that require frequent drug dose over long periods of time, injections can result in patient incompliance and poor treatment outcomes. For such diseases, oral drug delivery is the most non-invasive and patient-compliant method of drug administration. Although oral delivery of many small molecule drugs is routine, oral delivery of protein drugs - e.g. insulin presents several challenges including oral bioavailability of the protein therapeutic because of degradation in the stomach, inactivation and digestion of the therapeutics by the proteolytic enzymes in the luminal cavity, and poor permeability of drugs across the intestinal epithelium. Polymeric nanoparticle (NP) carriers provide new opportunities for controlled delivery of drugs, and have the potential to address challenges associated with effective oral delivery of insulin. NPs can protect the protein therapeutic from degradation in the GI tract as well as allow targeted transport across the epithelial lining. An efficient NP based oral insulin delivery solution that can enable targeted transport of insulin across the GI tract must have (1) high insulin loading, (2) sub-100 nm size, (3) ability to release insulin before opsonization by macrophages and (4) the ability to be surface-functionalized with ligands that facilitate transport across the epithelium. This work presents a detailed study on mechanistic understanding of polymeric insulin NP formation with a focus on the effect of synthesis parameters on insulin loading and NP size. We report how buffer conditions, ionic chelation, and NP preparation methods influence insulin loading in poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid)-b-poly(ethylene glycol) (PLGA-PEG) NPs. We report a 10-fold increase in insulin loading with the use of chelating zinc ions and by the optimization of the pH during nanoprecipitation. Next, we report the development of novel insulin Eudragit-PLGA-PEG blended NPs (Ins-Eud-NPs) with high insulin loading (13.1%) and sub-100 nm size. These NPs enable rapid release of insulin when triggered by a change in pH that occurs when the NPs cross the duodenal epithelium and go from acidic to neutral pH. The NPs are formed by successfully blending Eudragit S100, a commercially available polymer which dissolves at pH greater than 7 with a non-pH responsive polymer, PLGA-PEG. To enable effective transport of these NPs across the epithelial lining, NPs were designed to use the FcRn transport pathway that mediates IgG antibody transport across epithelial barriers. We report the successful chemical conjugation of the Fc fragment on the surface of Ins-Eud- NPs by overcoming the presence of non-ideal conjugation parameters owing to the pH restrictions of the system. This dissertation provides mechanistic insights and helps to understand fundamental concepts about polymeric NP formation and protein encapsulation. The modular NP system developed in this work can be extended to other protein drug delivery systems that are subject to limited drug loading and restricted transport across epithelial barriers.

This volume serves as a valuable handbook for the development of nanomedicines made of polymer nanoparticles because it provides researchers, students, and entrepreneurs with all the material necessary to begin their own projects in this field. Readers will find protocols to prepare polymer nanoparticles using different methods, since these are based on the variety of experiences that experts encounter in the field. In addition, complex topics such as, the optimal characterization of polymer nanoparticles is discussed, as well as practical guidelines on how to formulate polymer nanoparticles into nanomedicines, and how to modify the properties of nanoparticles to give them the different functionalities required to become an efficient nanomedicine for different clinical applications. The book also discusses the translation of technology from research to practice, considering aspects related to industrialization of preparation and aspects of regulatory and clinical development.

Nanotechnology has revolutionized the approach to designing and developing novel drug delivery systems. The last two decades have seen a great interest in the use of nanotechnology to offer efficient ways of delivering new and existing drugs and macromolecules. The focus of this book is the application of nanotechnology to deliver drugs and biological agents by the mucosal routes of administration i.e. nasal, pulmonary, buccal, and oral routes. It provides an overview of nanotechnology in drug delivery with a description of different types of nanoparticles, methods of preparation and characterization, and functionalization for site-specific drug delivery. The emphasis is on the use of nanoparticles in treating various cancers and infectious diseases. It broadens the use of nanoparticles by including biologics, including vaccines and immunotherapies, apart from drugs and acknowledges the concerns around the potential toxicity of nanoparticles to the host; several chapters will discuss the biodistribution of these nanoparticles when mucosal routes of administration are employed. Further, the interaction of nanoparticles with the host’s immune cells is discussed. Moreover, it reviews the regulatory aspects of nanotechnology in product development, especially when delivered by the mucosal route of administration. Lastly, discusses the challenges and opportunities to manufacture nanoparticles on an industrial scale. This book is the first of its kind to focus on the design, development and delivery of nanoparticles when administered by different mucosal routes.

Annotation The review focuses on the use of pharmaceutical polymer for controlled drug delivery applications. Examples of pharmaceutical polymers and the principles of controlled drug delivery are outlined and applications of polymers for controlled drug delivery are described. The field of controlled drug delivery is vast therefore this review aims to provide an overview of the applications of pharmaceutical polymers. The review is accompanied by approximately 250 abstracts taken from papers and books in the Rapra Polymer Library database, to facilitate further reading on this subject.