Glucose-responsive pectin insulin patch for diabetes mellitus: A review

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease that occurs because the pancreas does not produce enough insulin and the body cells cannot use the insulin effectively. Type 1 diabetes mellitus requires insulin therapy, whereas in type 2 diabetes mellitus insulin resistance occurs, so additional insulin therapy may or may not be necessary. Problems related to insulin therapy arise from repeated daily injections that cause pain and damage or trauma to the skin. To overcome problems related to insulin therapy, innovative insulin delivery systems have been developed, such as insulin patches. In the present study, scientific data on pectin insulin patch will be reviewed. This review is based on a search of Medline and citation lists of relevant publications. Several in vitro and in vivo studies have found that pectin can deliver insulin through transdermal patches. The application of a pectin-insulin patch can attenuate hyperglycemia in diabetes, attenuate cardiovascular complications, support hemodynamic control, and attenuate diabetes-associated kidney damage. Overall, the results from multiple studies suggest that a pectin-insulin patch may provide a new valuable tool in diabetes mellitus treatment.