A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Microfluidic Assembly of a Multifunctional Tailorable Composite System Designed for Site Specific Combined Oral Delivery of Peptide Drugs
Authors: Araujo F, Shrestha N, Shahbazi MA, Liu DF, Herranz-Blanco B, Makila EM, Salonen JJ, Hirvonen JT, Granja PL, Sarmento B, Santos HA
Publisher: Amer Chemical Soc
Publication year: 2015
Journal: ACS Nano
Journal name in source: ACS NANO
Journal acronym: ACS Nano
Volume: 9
Issue: 8
First page : 8291
Last page: 8302
Number of pages: 12
ISSN: 1936-0851
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.5b02762
Multifunctional tailorable composite systems, specifically designed for oral dual-delivery of a peptide (glucagon-like peptide-1) and an enzymatic inhibitor (dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4)), were assembled through the microfluidics technique. Both drugs were coloaded into these systems for a synergistic therapeutic effect. The systems were composed of chitosan and cell-penetrating peptide modified poly(lactide-co-glycolide) and porous silicon nanoparticles as nanomatrices, further encapsulated in an enteric hydroxypropylmethylcellulose acetylsuccinate polymer. The developed multifunctional systems were pH-sensitive, inherited by the enteric polymer, enabling the release of the nanoparticles only in the simulated intestinal conditions. Moreover, the encapsulation into this polymer prevented the degradation of the nanoparticles' modifications. These nanoparticles showed strong and higher interactions with the intestinal cells in comparison with the nonmodified ones. The presence of DPP4 inhibitor enhanced the peptide permeability across intestinal cell monolayers. Overall, this is a promising platform for simultaneously delivering two drugs from a single formulation. Through this approach peptides are expected to increase their bioavailability and efficiency in vivo both by their specific release at the intestinal level and also by the reduced enzymatic activity. The use of this platform, specifically in combination of the two antidiabetic drugs, has clinical potential for the therapy of type 2 diabetes mellitus.