Advances in micro- and nanotechnologies for the GLP-1-based therapy and imaging of pancreatic beta-cells

New insights into nanomedicines for oral delivery of glucagon-like peptide-1 analogs

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a metabolic disorder that arises when the body cannot respond fully to insulin, leading to impaired glucose tolerance. Currently, the treatment embraces non-pharmacological actions (e.g., diet and exercise) co-associated with the administration of antidiabetic drugs. Metformin is the first-line treatment for T2DM; nevertheless, alternative therapeutic strategies involving glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogs have been explored for managing the disease. GLP-1 analogs trigger insulin secretion and suppress glucagon release in a glucose-dependent manner thereby, reducing the risk of hyperglycemia. Additionally, GLP-1 analogs have an extended plasma half-life compared to the endogenous peptide due to their high resistance to degradation by dipeptidyl peptidase-4. However, GLP-1 analogs are mainly administered via subcutaneous route, which can be inconvenient for the patients. Even considering an oral delivery approach, GLP-1 analogs are exposed to the harsh conditions of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and the intestinal barriers (mucus and epithelium). Hereupon, there is an unmet need to develop non-invasive oral transmucosal drug delivery strategies, such as the incorporation of GLP-1 analogs into nanoplatforms, to overcome the GIT barriers. Nanotechnology has the potential to shield antidiabetic peptides against the acidic pH and enzymatic activity of the stomach. In addition, the nanoparticles can be coated and/or surface-conjugated with mucodiffusive polymers and target intestinal ligands to improve their transport through the intestinal mucus and epithelium. This review focuses on the main hurdles associated with the oral administration of GLP-1 and GLP-1 analogs, and the nanosystems developed to improve the oral bioavailability of the antidiabetic peptides. This article is categorized under: Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Infectious Disease Nanotechnology Approaches to Biology > Nanoscale Systems in Biology.

Theranostic in GLP-1R molecular imaging: challenges and emerging opportunities

Theranostic in nuclear medicine combines diagnostic imaging and internal irradiation therapy using different therapeutic nuclear probes for visual diagnosis and precise treatment. GLP-1R is a popular receptor target in endocrine diseases, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, tumors, and other areas. Likewise, it has also made breakthroughs in the development of molecular imaging. It was recognized that GLP-1R imaging originated from the study of insulinoma and afterwards was expanded in application including islet transplantation, pancreatic β-cell mass measurement, and ATP-dependent potassium channel-related endocrine diseases. Fortunately, GLP-1R molecular imaging has been involved in ischemic cardiomyocytes and neurodegenerative diseases. These signs illustrate the power of GLP-1R molecular imaging in the development of medicine. However, it is still limited to imaging diagnosis research in the current molecular imaging environment. The lack of molecular-targeted therapeutics related report hinders its radiology theranostic. In this article, the current research status, challenges, and emerging opportunities for GLP-1R molecular imaging are discussed in order to open a new path for theranostics and to promote the evolution of molecular medicine.

Novel strategies to oral delivery of insulin: Current progress of nanocarriers for diabetes management

Diabetes mellitus is one of the most serious public health problems in the world. Repeated daily injections of subcutaneous insulin is the standard treatment for patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus; however, subcutaneous insulin injections can potentially cause local discomfort, patient noncompliance, hypoglycemia, failure to regulate glucose homeostasis, infections, and fat deposits at the injection sites. In recent years, numerous attempts have been made to produce safe and efficient nanoparticles for oral insulin delivery. Oral administration is considered the most effective alternative route to insulin injection, but it is accompanied by several challenges related to enzymatic proteolysis, digestive breakdown, and absorption barriers. A number of natural and synthetic polymeric, lipid-based, and inorganic nanoparticles have been investigated for use. Although improvements have recently been made in potential oral insulin delivery systems, these require further investigation before clinical trials are conducted. In this review, new approaches to oral insulin delivery for diabetes treatment are discussed, including polymeric, lipid-based, and inorganic nanoparticles, as well as the clinical trials performed for this purpose.

Extra-oral bitter taste receptors: New targets against obesity?

Taste perception on the tongue is essential to help us to identify nutritious or potential toxic food substances. Emerging evidence has demonstrated the expression and function of bitter taste receptors (TAS2Rs) in a wide range of extra-oral tissues. In particular, TAS2Rs in gastrointestinal enteroendocrine cells control the secretion of appetite regulating gut hormones and influence hunger and food intake. Furthermore, these effects may be reinforced by the presence of TAS2Rs on intestinal smooth muscle cells, adipocytes and the brain. This review summarises how activation of extra-oral TAS2Rs can influence appetite and body weight control and how obesity impacts the expression and function of TAS2Rs. Region-selective targeting of bitter taste receptors may be promising targets for the treatment of obesity.

Advances in GLP-1 receptor targeting radiolabeled agent development and prospective of theranostics

In the light of theranostics/radiotheranostics and prospective of personalized medicine in diabetes and oncology, this review presents prior and current advances in the development of radiolabeled imaging and radiotherapeutic exendin-based agents targeting glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor. The review covers chemistry, preclinical, and clinical evaluation. Such critical aspects as structure-activity-relationship, stability, physiological potency, kidney uptake, and dosimetry are discussed.

Andrographolide promotes pancreatic duct cells differentiation into insulin-producing cells by targeting PDX-1

Regeneration of β-cells by differentiation of pancreatic progenitor cells has the potential to fundamentally solve the problems of the loss of β-cell function and mass during disease progression in both type 1 or 2 diabetes. Therefore, discovery of novel differentiation inducers to promote islet regeneration is of great significance. Pancreatic and duodenal homeobox1 (PDX-1) is a key transcription factor that promotes the development and maturation of pancreatic β-cells. To screen potential novel small molecules for enhancing differentiation of PNAC-1 cells, a human pancreatic ductal cell lines into insulin-producing cells (IPCs), we developed a high-throughput screening method through fusing the PDX-1 promoter region with a luciferase reporter gene. We screened and identified that andrographolide named C1037 stimulates PDX-1 expression in both mRNA and protein level and significantly promotes PANC-1 cells differentiation into IPCs as compared with that of control cells. The therapeutic effect of C037 in Streptozotocin induced diabetic mouse model through differentiation of pancreatic ductal cells into insulin positive islets was also observed. Our study provides a novel method to screen compounds regulating the differentiation of pancreatic progenitor cells having the potential of enhancing islet regeneration for diabetes therapy.

Cell-Derived Vesicles for in Vitro and in Vivo Targeted Therapeutic Delivery

Efficient delivery of therapeutics across the cell membrane to the interior of the cell remains a challenge both in vitro and in vivo. Here, we demonstrate that vesicles derived from cellular membranes can be efficiently loaded with cargo that can then be delivered to the interior of the cell. These vesicles demonstrated cell-targeting specificity as well as the ability to deliver a wide range of different cargos. We utilized this approach to deliver both lipophilic and hydrophilic cargos including therapeutics and DNA in vitro. We further demonstrated in vivo targeting and delivery using fluorescently labeled vesicles to target tumor xenografts in an animal. Cell-derived vesicles can be generated in high yields and are easily loaded with a variety of cargos. The ability of these vesicles to specifically target the same cell type from which they originated provides an efficient means of delivering cargo, such as therapeutics, both in vitro and in vivo.