Pyrrolidinium-based ionic liquids in insulin stabilization and delivery: Insights into molecular interactions with...

The intracellular delivery of insulin (INS) remains a significant challenge due to its susceptibility to enzymatic degradation and poor membrane permeability. Developing efficient drug delivery systems for the intracellular transport of Ins is essential for improving diabetes management. The current study investigated the use of pyrrolidinium-based ionic liquids (ILs) as novel carriers for Ins delivery. These ILs possess favourable physicochemical properties, including high solubility, biocompatibility, and self-assembling behaviour, which enable modulation of drug stability and release. Considering Human serum albumin (HSA) a mimic of INS receptors, the ILs facilitated non-covalent interactions, thereby preserving its α-helical structure and enhancing its structural stability in simulated biological environments. Structural integrity was confirmed using circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, while complementary techniques, including tensiometry, molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulation, UV-Vis spectroscopy, and fluorescence spectroscopy, were employed to evaluate their carrier potential.