Systematic review of peptide nanoparticles for improved diabetes outcomes: insights and opportunities

This present study carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis of peptide nanoparticles in diabetes management for improved patient outcomes from 2014 to 2024. Different electronic databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, ResearchGate, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane Library, were searched for relevant literature using Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and boolean operators. A total of 317 articles were obtained and include PUBMED (39), Scopus (215), ResearchGate (30), Google Scholar (25), and Cochrane Library (8). From these, 186 duplicate entries were eliminated, while 76 articles were dismissed for some reasons. After scanning the titles, abstracts, and contents of the remaining 55 articles for relevance, 22 articles were eliminated. After a full-text screening using inclusion/exclusion criteria, an additional 11 articles were discarded, while 4 were excluded during the data extraction phase. In the end, seven (7) publications were considered relevant based on the eligibility criteria, representing 2.22%. Results showed that sequential exclusion of the studies did not have a significant impact on the effects of peptide nanoparticles on glucose control, insulin delivery, bioavailability, efficacy, safety, and patient outcomes in diabetes management. Also, peptide nanoparticles had positive improvement on glycemic control, insulin levels, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) levels, and overall patient outcomes. The study concludes that peptide nanoparticles harbour the potential to improve diabetes management through enhanced glucose control, insulin delivery, and patient outcomes. However, there is a significant gap in knowledge. Further research is required to understand the long-term safety and efficacy of many of the enlisted nanoparticles. Additionally, future studies should explore a wider range of peptides and proteins for encapsulation, develop delivery systems for larger and conformationally diverse molecules, and improve the oral bioavailability of encapsulated therapeutics. Long-term clinical trials are needed to validate this approach in humans and elucidate the underlying mechanisms for optimal treatment design. If these knowledge gaps are addressed, peptide nanoparticles will unavoidably become a powerful tool for effective management of diabetes along with traditional methods.