A Nanocomposite Vehicle Based on Metal-Organic Framework Nanoparticle Incorporated Biodegradable Microspheres for Enhanced Oral Insulin Delivery.

Oral insulin delivery has revolutionized diabetes treatment, but challenges including degradation in the gastrointestinal environment and low permeation across the intestinal epithelium remain. Herein, to overcome these barriers, we developed a novel biodegradable nanocomposite microsphere embedded with metal-organic framework (MOF) nanoparticles. An iron-based MOF nanoparticle (NP) (MIL-100) was first synthesized as a carrier with an insulin loading capacity of 35%. The insulin-loaded MIL-100 nanoparticles modified with sodium dodecyl sulfate (Ins@MIL100/SDS) promoted insulin permeation across Caco-2 monolayer models in vitro. To improve resistance to the gastric acid environment, Ins@MIL100/SDS nanoparticles were embedded into a biodegradable microsphere to construct the nanocomposite delivery system (Ins@MIL100/SDS@MS). The microspheres effectively protected the MOF NPs from rapid degradation under acidic conditions and could release insulin-loaded MOF NPs in the simulated intestinal fluid. After the oral administration of Ins@MIL100/SDS@MS into BALB/c nude mice, increased intestinal absorption of the insulin was detected compared to the oral administration of free insulin or Ins@MIL100/SDS. Furthermore, significantly enhanced plasma insulin levels were obtained for over 6 h after oral administration of Ins@MIL100/SDS@MS into diabetic rats, leading to a remarkably enhanced effect in lowering blood glucose level with a relative pharmacological availability of 7.8%. Thus, the MOF-nanoparticle-incorporated microsphere may provide a new strategy for effective oral protein delivery.

Non-merohedral twinning: from minerals to proteins.

In contrast to twinning by merohedry, the reciprocal lattices of the different domains of non-merohedral twins do not overlap exactly. This leads to three kinds of reflections: reflections with no overlap, reflections with an exact overlap and reflections with a partial overlap of a reflection from a second domain. This complicates the unit-cell determination, indexing, data integration and scaling of X-ray diffraction data. However, with hindsight it is possible to detwin the data because there are reflections that are not affected by the twinning. In this article, the successful solution and refinement of one mineral, one organometallic and two protein non-merohedral twins using a common strategy are described. The unit-cell constants and the orientation matrices were determined by the program CELL_NOW. The data were then integrated with SAINT. TWINABS was used for scaling, empirical absorption corrections and the generation of two different data files, one with detwinned data for structure solution and refinement and a second one for (usually more accurate) structure refinement against total integrated intensities. The structures were solved by experimental phasing using SHELXT for the first two structures and SHELXC/D/E for the two protein structures; all models were refined with SHELXL.

Purification and identification of high molecular weight products formed during storage of neutral formulation of human insulin.

PURPOSE: To identify High Molecular Weight Products (HMWP) formed in human insulin formulation during storage. METHODS: Commercial formulation of human insulin was stored at 37°C for 1 year and HMWP was isolated using preparative size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and reverse phase (RP) chromatography. The primary structure of the isolated species was analysed using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). To test the hypothesis that amino groups of insulin are involved in HMWP formation, the HMWP content of various formulations spiked with amine compounds or formulations of insulin with modified amino groups was measured. RESULTS: More than 20 species of HMWP were observed and 16 species were identified using LC-MS. All identified species were covalent dimers of human insulin linked via A21Asn and B29Lys, formed via the formation of an anhydride intermediate at A21Asn. Two types of HMWP were identified, with the covalent link in the open or closed (succinimidyl) form. Some species also contained single deamidation at B3 or the desPhe(B1)-N-oxalyl-Val(B2) modification. Reduced rate of HMWP formation was observed after addition of L-lysine, L-arginine or piperazine or when insulin analogues with methylated N-terminals and side chain amines and A21Gly mutation were used. Formulations of human insulin without zinc and m-cresol were found to contain a different pool of HMWP. CONCLUSIONS: HMWP formed in formulation of human insulin at pH 7.4 with zinc and m-cresol consists primarily of covalent dimers linked via A21Asn and B29Lys. Insulin formulation properties determine the amount and identity of formed HMWP.

Amino acid sequence determinants in self-assembly of insulin chiral amyloid superstructures: role of C-terminus of B-chain in association of fibrils.

Formation of chiral amyloid superstructures is a newly recognised phenomenon observed upon agitation-assisted fibrillation of bovine insulin. Here, by surveying several amyloidogenic precursors we examine whether formation of such entities is unique to bovine insulin. Our results indicate that only bovine, human, and porcine insulins are capable of chiral superstructural self-assembly. A tiny covalent perturbation consisting in reversal of Pro(B28)-Lys(B29) residues in a human insulin analog is sufficient to prevent this process. Our study suggests that insulin's dimer-forming interface--specifically the B-chain's C-terminal fragment--may acquire the new role of a molecular velcro upon lateral alignment of individual fibrils into superstructures.

Single-injection HPLC method for rapid analysis of a combination drug delivery system.

Developing combination drug delivery systems (CDDS) is a challenging but necessary task to meet the needs of complex therapy regimes for patients. As the number of multi-drug regimens being administered increases, so does the difficulty of characterizing the CDDS as a whole. We present a single-step method for quantifying three model therapeutics released from a model hydrogel scaffold using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Poly(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate (PEGDMA) hydrogel tablets were fabricated via photoinitiated crosslinking and subsequently loaded with model active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), namely, porcine insulin (PI), fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled bovine serum albumin (FBSA), prednisone (PSE), or a combination of all three. The hydrogel tablets were placed into release chambers and sampled over 21 days, and APIs were quantified using the method described herein. Six compounds were isolated and quantified in total. Release kinetics based on chemical properties of the APIs did not give systematic relationships; however, PSE was found to have improved device loading versus PI and FBSA. Rapid analysis of three model APIs released from a PEGDMA CDDS was achieved with a direct, single-injection HPLC method. Development of CDDS platforms is posited to benefit from such analytical approaches, potentially affording innovative solutions to complex disease states.

Non-equivalent role of inter- and intramolecular hydrogen bonds in the insulin dimer interface.

Apart from its role in insulin receptor (IR) activation, the C terminus of the B-chain of insulin is also responsible for the formation of insulin dimers. The dimerization of insulin plays an important role in the endogenous delivery of the hormone and in the administration of insulin to patients. Here, we investigated insulin analogues with selective N-methylations of peptide bond amides at positions B24, B25, or B26 to delineate their structural and functional contribution to the dimer interface. All N-methylated analogues showed impaired binding affinities to IR, which suggests a direct IR-interacting role for the respective amide hydrogens. The dimerization capabilities of analogues were investigated by isothermal microcalorimetry. Selective N-methylations of B24, B25, or B26 amides resulted in reduced dimerization abilities compared with native insulin (K(d) = 8.8 µM). Interestingly, although the N-methylation in [NMeTyrB26]-insulin or [NMePheB24]-insulin resulted in K(d) values of 142 and 587 µM, respectively, the [NMePheB25]-insulin did not form dimers even at high concentrations. This effect may be attributed to the loss of intramolecular hydrogen bonding between NHB25 and COA19, which connects the B-chain ß-strand to the core of the molecule. The release of the B-chain ß-strand from this hydrogen bond lock may result in its higher mobility, thereby shifting solution equilibrium toward the monomeric state of the hormone. The study was complemented by analyses of two novel analogue crystal structures. All examined analogues crystallized only in the most stable R(6) form of insulin oligomers (even if the dimer interface was totally disrupted), confirming the role of R(6)-specific intra/intermolecular interactions for hexamer stability.