Nanoparticle-Based Oral Insulin Delivery: Challenges, Advances, and Future Directions

Exogenous insulin is essential for diabetes management; however, subcutaneous administration is associated with discomfort, poor adherence and non-physiological peripheral hyperinsulinemia. Oral administration would better mimic the physiological insulin distribution route but is hampered by gastrointestinal barriers, resulting in low bioavailability. Enabling access to the market for oral insulin nanocarriers requires rigorous control of their physicochemical attributes (size, charge, and surface chemistry) to ensure biocompatibility and mitigate risks such as the long-term bioaccumulation of non-biodegradable materials and the loss of intended targeting due to protein corona formation. In pre-clinical studies, nanoparticle carriers have shown promising results by protecting insulin and enhancing its absorption, yet clinical translation remains limited, with most candidates stalling in early-phase trials. This translational gap stems from the inadequacy of conventional animal models and regulatory frameworks to address the complexity of nanomedicines. This review goes beyond a simple summary of nanocarrier types and discusses the non-clinical and regulatory challenges hampering progress. We highlight the limitations of current preclinical models and the challenge of evaluating the pharmacokinetic profiles of both the nanocarrier and its insulin payload. The development of more rigorous and predictive strategies based on most recent successes and failures, described in this review, could help to bridge the translational gap.