
This is an image of ‘surgery in a pill’ in the intestine.
Credit: Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Randal Mckenzie
Orally administered material temporarily coats the intestine, reduces blood sugar spikes in preclinical study
Over the last decade, bariatric surgeons have made strides in performing weight loss surgery that not only reverses obesity but can also reverse type 2 diabetes in patients with both conditions. Despite dramatic improvements in quality of life and diabetes remission, the number of patients who pursue surgery remains relatively low, according to Ali Tavakkoli, MD, co-director of the Center for Weight Management and Metabolic Surgery at BWH. This prompted a collaboration between Tavakkoli and Brigham and Women’s Hospital researchers to find a less invasive but equally effective treatment for reversing type 2 diabetes, one that can offer the same benefits as surgery but that may have wider appeal and application. In a paper published this week in Nature Materials, the team reports on results of a preclinical study in which an oral agent was administered in rats to deliver a substance that could temporarily coat the intestine to prevent nutrient contact with the lining in the proximal bowel and avoid post-meal spikes in blood sugar.
“We envision a pill that a patient can take before a meal that transiently coats the gut to replicate the effects of surgery,” said co-senior author Jeff Karp, PhD, a bioengineer and principal investigator at BWH. “Over the last several years, we’ve been working with our surgical colleagues on this idea and have developed a material that meets an important clinical need.”
The team members searched for a starting material that would have just the right properties to adhere to the small intestine and then dissolve within a matter of hours. They selected a substance known as sucralfate, an FDA-approved drug that is used in the treatment of gastrointestinal ulcers. The team further engineered the substance into a novel material that can coat the lining of the intestine without requiring activation by gastric acid. The engineered compound, referred to as LuCI (Luminal Coating of the Intestine), can be made into a dry powdered form that can be encapsulated as a pill.
“What we’ve developed here is essentially, ‘surgery in a pill,'” said co-lead author Yuhan Lee, PhD, a materials scientist in the BWH Division of Engineering in Medicine. “We’ve used a bioengineering approach to formulate a pill that has good adhesion properties and can attach nicely to the gut in a preclinical model. And after a couple of hours, its effects dissipate.”
The team found that once in the intestine of rats, LuCI can coat the gut, forming a thin barrier that alters nutrient contact and lowers blood glucose response after a meal. After a meal, blood sugar levels rise and can stay elevated over time. However, one hour after LuCI was administered to the rats, the response to glucose was lowered by 47 percent. The team found that this response was temporary, and after three hours, the effect essentially disappeared.
The team is now testing the effect of short- and long-term use of LuCI in diabetic and obese rodent models. They also plan to advance some of their pilot studies showing that LuCI can be used to deliver drugs, including proteins directly to the gastrointestinal tract.
“Gastric bypass is one of the best studied surgeries in the world, and we know that it can lead to many benefits including positive effects for blood pressure, sleep apnea and certain forms of cancer, and a remarkably fast and weight-independent improvement in diabetes,” said Tavakkoli, co-senior author of the study. “Having a transient coating that could mimic the effects of surgery would be a tremendous asset for patients and their care providers.”
Learn more: ‘Surgery in a pill’ a potential treatment for diabetes
Receive an email update when we add a new TYPE 2 DIABETES article.
The Latest on: Type 2 diabetes
via Google News
The Latest on: Type 2 diabetes
- Charlyn Fargo Ware: Understanding Type 3 Diabetes on February 18, 2019 at 3:09 pm
You’ve probably heard of Type 1 diabetes (mainly in children) and Type 2 diabetes (which occurs later in life), but now there is a Type 3 diabetes. It’s the result of a link between diabetes and Alzhe... […]
- Why Is This Diabetes Patient With CKD Having Seizures? on February 18, 2019 at 9:06 am
The patient has chronic kidney disease (CKD) and type 2 diabetes, and a history of herpes encephalitis. He is admitted to the hospital – amiodarone is discontinued, and he is treated with high-dose in... […]
- Low serum IGF-I may signal liver fibrosis in type 2 diabetes on February 18, 2019 at 8:36 am
Low levels of serum insulin-like growth factor I may increase the risk for liver fibrosis in adults with type 2 diabetes who consume very little alcohol on a daily basis, according to findings publish... […]
- Higher heart rates related to type 2 diabetes risk in normal-weight adults on February 18, 2019 at 6:33 am
The risk for developing type 2 diabetes is higher for Chinese adults with increased heart rates, even those in the high normal range, compared with those with lower rates, especially in combination wi... […]
- Oestrogen and controlling Type 2 diabetes on February 17, 2019 at 1:25 am
The results of a recent Texas A&M University-led study provide insights into the mechanism by which oestrogen can decrease insulin resistance and the production of glucose, reducing incidence of ... […]
- Ask D'Mine: Choices for Type 2 Diabetes Instead of Insulin on February 16, 2019 at 2:52 am
Got questions about navigating life with diabetes? Ask D'Mine! Our weekly advice column, that is, hosted by veteran type 1 and diabetes author Wil Dubois. This week, Wil is talking medications availab... […]
- How Does Weight Fluctuation Affect Type 2 Diabetes? on February 15, 2019 at 4:17 pm
Major changes in weight, including weight loss, can affect diagnosis risk. In type 2 diabetes, it is important to counsel patients on managing their body weight due to evidence of the negative impact ... […]
- What No One Told Me About Accepting a Type 2 Diabetes Diagnosis on February 14, 2019 at 11:17 am
When I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2011, I had a hard time processing it. I spent weeks, if not months, wondering how this happened to me and if I was diagnosed correctly this time. Initiall... […]
- Diabetes Health Type 2: The Three-Pronged Approach to Health on February 14, 2019 at 1:04 am
As someone who is dealing with Type 2 diabetes, one thing that I try to keep on top of is my physical, mental and spiritual condition. I have found that when I am in good shape physically, mentally an... […]
via Bing News