Current Therapeutic Strategy in the Nasal Delivery of Insulin: Recent Advances and Future Directions

Insulin (INS) has been used in the treatment of diabetes mellitus. Due to its large molecular weight and short half-life, it has been usually administered subcutaneously accompanied with side effects such as the possibility of hypoglycemia episodes, weight gain and inadequate post-meal glucose control.

In order to overcome these limitations, alternative delivery routes of insulin are expected to provide better safety and compliance for the patient. Non-invasive insulin delivery system represents one of the most challenging goals for pharmaceutical industry. Nasal insulin delivery has been extensively studied as an alternative to subcutaneous injection for the treatment of diabetes. The pharmacokinetic profile of nasal insulin is similar to that obtained by intravenous injection.

This review discusses the most recent developments in nasal insulin administration technology. Firstly, the structure and physiology of the nasal cavity are introduced. Then, the advantages and disadvantages of nasal administration are discussed. Next, the methods of enhancing nasal insulin absorption and the dosage forms for insulin nasal administration are described. Furthermore, new therapeutic indications of nasal insulin administration were also investigated. Finally, the future development and respective technology of nasal insulin administration are prospected.