Researchers have developed innovative patches inspired by octopus suckers, designed to deliver drugs that are challenging to absorb through the inner cheek of a person. These small rubber suction cups present a more user-friendly alternative for administering intravenous drugs, including insulin and the popular drug Ozempic.
These drugs often degrade as they pass through the digestive system. In tests, these suction cups outperformed commercial oral tablets in delivering an antidiuretic drug named desmopressin into dogs’ bloodstream. Moreover, in a small human trial, participants favored these patches over injections. The challenge with large-molecule drugs, which are often peptides or proteins, is their low oral bioavailability.
This means only a tiny fraction of the orally consumed drug reaches the bloodstream, leading to most of these drugs being administered via injection. Researchers have been exploring non-invasive methods, such as patches that stick to the mouth’s lining. However, ensuring these substances adhere to wet cheeks without causing tissue damage is tricky.Â
Zhi Luo, a materials scientist at the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, China, and his team drew inspiration from the suction cups octopuses use to grasp objects and prey underwater. These rubber versions are approximately 1.1 cm across and 0.6 cm high, containing a chamber that can hold over 60 mg of a drug, preventing dilution by saliva or other fluids.Â
These cups also expand the inner mouth tissue, enhancing the surface area for drug penetration. In tests with beagles, which have cheek linings similar to humans, the patches loaded with desmopressin showed a bioavailability of 16.4%, in contrast to 0.12% for oral tablets.
After three hours, the drug concentration in the blood of dogs using the suction cups was 150 times higher than those who consumed tablets. In a human trial involving 40 participants, 75% reported comfort after using the patches for 30 minutes. For daily and weekly applications, the majority preferred these patches over injections.
Jean-Christophe Leroux, a co-author of the study, believes this technology could be beneficial for numerous drugs that currently require injections. This includes many drugs under investigation or approval for conditions like diabetes or obesity. The patches could also be a game-changer for children who need regular medication injections. Â
Journal Reference Â
Naddaf, M. (2023). This octopus-inspired patch could deliver drugs like Ozempic through your cheek. Retrieved from https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03050-1Â
