Recent Advances in Electrically Stimulated Insulin Delivery Systems.

Diabetes mellitus has become one of the greatest medical challenges affecting millions of people globally. Non- and minimally invasive approaches for insulin release are currently being intensively investigated to improve the treatment efficacy and quality of life for diabetic patients. Electrically triggered drug release exhibits tremendous potential since it allows medications to be dosed intermittently on demand and over a long period of time using simple, safe, and inexpensive approaches. Despite such advantages, the use of electrical signals has been mainly focused on the delivery of small drugs, with the administration of protein-based drugs, such as insulin, being addressed only sporadically. However, in recent years, the controlled release of insulin through electrical stimulation has begun to be seriously studied, attracting interest because of its capacity to reduce the incidence of hyperglycemia, which further reduces the potential complications in diabetic patients. This review examines the state of the art of electroregulated insulin delivery systems, discussing the current different approaches existing and analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of each one of them.