Chitosan nanofibers for transbuccal insulin delivery

In this work, they aimed at producing chitosan based nanofiber mats capable of delivering insulin via the buccal mucosa. Chitosan was electrospun into nanofibers using poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) as a carrier molecule in various feed ratios. The mechanical properties and degradation kinetics of the fibers were measured. Insulin release rates were determined in vitro using an ELISA assay. The bioactivity of released insulin was measured in terms of Akt activation in pre-adipocytes. Insulin permeation across the buccal mucosa was measured in an ex-vivo porcine transbuccal model. Fiber morphology, mechanical properties, and in vitro stability were dependent on PEO feed ratio. Lower PEO content blends produced smaller diameter fibers with significantly faster insulin release kinetics. Insulin showed no reduction in bioactivity due to electrospinning. Buccal permeation of insulin facilitated by high chitosan content blends was significantly higher than that of free insulin. Taken together, the work demonstrates that chitosan-based nanofibers have the potential to serve as a transbuccal insulin delivery vehicle. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 105A: 1252-1259, 2017.