title: Evaluation of an oral insulin formulation in normal and diabetic rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  As injection is not an ideal means for insulin delivery, various attempts have been made to administer insulin orally until now. The development of an oral dosage form of insulin would help diabetic patients and make the treatment more convenient. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the effectiveness of an oral insulin formulation containing polar and non-polar ingredients.
  
  
  METHODS
  New excipient for oral insulin administration in normal and diabetic rats was evaluated by measuring blood glucose concentrations in two groups (10 rats each) of normal and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Oral insulin was administrated and blood glucose was measured by glucometer at 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 h post-feeding. The data was compared by Student's t test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Oral insulin formulation significantly (P<0.05) reduced blood glucose from 100 mg/dl to 33.73 mg/dl and 451.66 mg/dl to 200.83 mg/dl at 4 h in normal and diabetic rats, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The novel excipient used could protect insulin from gastric and pancreatic enzymes and reduce blood glucose concentration in both healthy and diabetic rats suggesting that oral delivery of insulin is feasible in a near future.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahid Chamran University, Ahvaz, Iran. najafzadeh@scu.ac.ir
authors.forename: Hossein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Najafzadeh
authors.forename: Hossein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kooshapur
authors.forename: Fakhri
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kianidehkordi