Diabetes Mellitus, also called DM, is a disease that happens when your blood has too much glucose. In the last few decades, diabetes has grown and now affects millions of people all over the world. According to the National Diabetes Statistics, 34.1 million people in the United States, or 13% of all adults, have diabetes.
Nanotechnology is a field that looks at the properties of materials at the nanoscale level. It offers new ways to find, treat, and avoid diabetes. In this blog, we will learn nanotechnology and the recent advances in nanotechnology for diabetes treatment. In addition to the treatment, medication such as Rybelsus 14 mg is also very effective for diabetes treatment.
What is Nanotechnology?
Nanotechnology is a new and important field of study in the 21st century. It is a type of science and technology that uses just one atom or molecule to make something. It looks at materials with structures between 0.1 and 100 nm and how they are used.
The quality and standard of people’s lives have been getting better and better over the past few years. Because of this, people’s meals and daily habits have changed a lot, and more people are getting diabetes as a result.
In the past few decades, the number of people with diabetes has grown every year all over the world. The National Library of Medicine (NLM) says that 9.3% of the world’s population will have diabetes in 2019.
Advancements in Nanotechnology for Treating Diabetes
In the last few years, nanotechnology has been used to find new ways to deliver insulin, which could make diabetes treatments more effective. It is possible to make the medicine more bioavailable and the effect of medicine last longer, cuts down on the number of doses needed and makes it easier for the patient to take the medicine as prescribed.
[Bioavailability is the amount of a medicine that gets into the bloodstream and shows its effect].
Here are some of the ways nanoparticles have helped treat diabetes:
Nanosensors for Glucose Monitoring
Nanosensors are tiny devices that monitor physical quantities and turn them into signals that are picked up and examined. Nanomaterials like carbon nanotubes and graphenes (a form of carbon) are added to modern biosensors to make them work better.
[A carbon nanotube is a tube composed of carbon with a width on the nanometer scale].
These nanomaterials significantly improve the sensitivity, reaction time, and detection limit of biosensors. For both in vivo (in living organisms) and in vitro (in the laboratory) glucose readings, scientists are making a wide range of new nanosensors, for example, implantable nanosensors.
The implantable nanosensors are inserted under the skin or on the arm. It ensures continuous and real-time glucose monitoring and has reduced patient burden. It monitors the glucose level in the blood accurately and efficiently.
Nanomaterials for Regenerative Medicine
In regenerative medicine, nanomaterials that replace, grow back, or fix damaged cells or tissues are often used. These materials are often used to encourage regeneration of stem cells into β cells and islet transplantation.
Regeneration of stem cells into β cells: Nanomaterials affect how stem cells (the cells that differentiate into any other type of cells) differentiate into β-like cells. These materials direct stem cells to develop into functioning β cells by giving them the right stimuli.
[β cells are the cells present in the pancreas (a gland present behind the stomach and release enzymes that help in digestion) that release insulin].
Islet Transplantation: Nanomaterials enhance the success rate of Islet transplantation. A process in which a person gets islets from the pancreas of a donor and puts them into their own pancreas. Once the islets (a group of cells in pancreas) are transferred, they start to make insulin, which controls the amount of glucose in the blood. Most of the time, islets are put into a person’s liver.
Nanoparticles in Early Detection and Diagnosis
Nanoparticles in diabetes treatment have made it possible to find diabetes earlier and non -invasively. It involves the characterization of immune cell activity and β cell mass.
In diabetes, there are changes in β cell function, including a reduction of insulin production. Changes in β cell mass are not just a defining feature of autoimmune diabetes; they can also be brought on by persistent insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes. Prior to the onset of diabetes-related symptoms, new technologies measure changes in β cell mass and provide an earlier prognosis.
MRI: It is an unusual method for assessing β cell mass in diabetes patients and has been made possible by recent developments in nanoparticle-based imaging technology. An MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) is the use of a magnet and radio waves to make clear pictures of the parts of your body.
Future Perspectives: Nanoparticles for Insulin Delivery
Nanoparticles have been suggested as a way to carry insulin so that the proteins are given in ways that are less painful than injections, such as through the mouth or nose. Nanoparticles are small particles that are in the nanoscale range. They are made from different materials, such as carbohydrates or lipids, and are often used to improve the physicochemical stability of the medicine and, in turn, its bioavailability.
This is how different types of nanoparticles, such as polymeric (substances composed of very large molecules) and lipid nanoparticles, are used to give oral hypoglycemic (low sugar) medicines.
All these advanced nanotechnologies are playing a crucial role in the treatment of diabetes. In addition to these treatments, medication also manages the blood sugar level and prevents diabetes. These medications are available at the best Canadian online pharmacy.
Conclusion
In diabetes research, recent advances in nanotechnology for diabetes treatment have made it easier to come up with new ways to measure glucose and deliver insulin. The advances like monitoring glucose level, regeneration of β cells, islet transplantation, MRI, and early diagnosis are helpful in treating diabetes.
These recent advances and future prospects of nanotechnology like nanoparticles in insulin delivery have the ability to make diabetics’ lives a lot better. Remember seeking professional healthcare is crucial to get the best outcomes in managing diabetes.
