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Updated: Apr 8, 2026

Improving IV Insulin Administration in a Community Hospital
Published on: June 11, 2012
Insulin administration: present strategies and future directions for a noninvasive (possibly more physiological)
Elena Matteucci1, Ottavio Giampietro1, Vera Covolan2
1Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Siena, Italy.
Abstract:
Insulin is a life-saving medication for people with type 1 diabetes, but traditional insulin replacement therapy is based on multiple daily subcutaneous injections or continuous subcutaneous pump-regulated infusion. Nonphysiologic delivery of subcutaneous insulin implies a rapid and sustained increase in systemic insulin levels due to the loss of concentration gradient between portal and systemic circulations. In fact, the liver degrades about half of the endogenous insulin secreted by the pancreas into the venous portal system. The reverse insulin distribution has short- and long-term effects on glucose metabolism. Thus, researchers have explored less-invasive administration routes based on innovative pharmaceutical formulations, which preserve hormone stability and ensure the therapeutic effectiveness. This review examines some of the recent proposals from clinical and material chemistry point of view, giving particular attention to patients' (and diabetologists') ideal requirements that organic chemistry could meet.
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