Amphiphilic Lipopeptide-Mediated Transport of Insulin and Cell Membrane Penetration Mechanism

Molecules

Yu Zhang²  Lei Li²  Mei Han²  Jiaoyin Hu²  Liefeng Zhang¹ 

[1] Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Molecular and Medical Biotechnology, College of Life Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210046, China

关键词: amphiphilic lipopeptide;    insulin;    membrane penetrating action;   

DOI  :  10.3390/molecules201219771

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Arginine octamer (R8) and its derivatives were developed in this study for the enhanced mucosal permeation of insulin. R8 was substituted with different aminos, then modified with stearic acid (SA). We found that the SAR6EW-insulin complex had stronger intermolecular interactions and higher complex stability. The amphiphilic lipopeptide (SAR6EW) was significantly more efficient for the permeation of insulin than R8 and R6EW both in vitro and in vivo. Interestingly, different cellular internalization mechanisms were observed for the complexes. When the effectiveness of the complexes in delivering insulin in vivo was examined, it was found that the SAR6EW-insulin complex provided a significant and sustained (six hours) reduction in the blood glucose levels of diabetic rats. The improved absorption could be the comprehensive result of stronger intermolecular interactions, better enzymatic stability, altered internalization pathways, and increased transportation efficacy. In addition, no sign of toxicity was observed after consecutive administrations of SAR6EW. These results demonstrate that SAR6EW is a promising epithelium permeation enhancer for insulin and suggest that the chemical modification of cell-penetrating peptides is a feasible strategy to enhance their potential.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.