Insulin availability from mucoadhesive tablets

The widespread implementation of peptides as drugs encounters numerous obstacles, the main being invasive and inconvenient parenteral administration. Oral transmucosal administration is one of the possible alternatives, valuable for its noninvasiveness and easy accessibility. The aim of our study was to determine the implementation possibilities of mucoadhesive tablets prepared on a methylcellulose and sodium alginate basis with an addition of absorption-modifying hyaluronic acid, as carriers for peptides destined for oral transmucosal administration. Two series of 50 mg tablets containing 5mg of insulin were prepared for the study. The first series contained methylcellulose, hyaluronic acid and mannitol, while the second series' formulation included sodium alginate, hyaluronic acid and mannitol. Carried out study confirmed that insulin administration in the form of mucoadhesive tablets lowers blood glucose levels in rabbits. Better effects were reached in vivo in the case of MC-based tablets, for which stronger and longer glycemia lowering was achieved.