An oral insulin pill developed by researchers at Kumamoto University in Japan could one day replace daily injections for people with diabetes.
Associate Professor Shingo Ito and his team engineered a carrier peptide called DNP-V that enables insulin to be absorbed through the small intestine-a major hurdle for protein-based drugs taken by mouth.
In tests on diabetic mice, the oral formulation-combined with zinc-stabilized insulin-triggered both rapid and sustained drops in blood glucose, returning levels close to normal after just one daily dose. The treatment also reduced post-meal blood sugar spikes.
The study, published in Molecular Pharmaceutics, suggests DNP peptides could become a versatile platform for delivering other injectable biologics orally. But researchers caution that success in mice doesn’t guarantee human efficacy.
Dr. Marc Siegel, a clinical professor of medicine not involved in the research, called the approach “very promising” but emphasized the critical need for human trials.