Innovative technological solutions for drug delivery methods using metformin as a model

Introduction. The issues of a personalized approach to diabetes therapy remain open and relevant today. Despite a fairly wide range of drugs, numbering about 9 pharmacotherapeutic groups, including insulins, the problems of monitoring and maintaining an acceptable individual level of glycemia, preventing complications associated with diabetes mellitus, the severity of side effects of therapy are currently far from being resolved.

Objective: study of the hypoglycemic activity of model depot forms – suspension and solution of metformin during subcutaneous storage.

Material and methods. As a research model, given the solubility of metformin, an aqueous solution and an oil suspension were chosen. Hypoglycemic activity of the studied objects was carried out on male Wistar rats on the model of diabetes mellitus induced by alloxan. Animals weighing 190±10 g were intraperitoneally injected with a 5% solution of alloxan monohydrate in isotonic sodium chloride solution at a rate of 150 mg/kg/animal; to reduce the toxic effect of alloxan, a 5% solution of nicotinamide was preliminarily (15 minutes) administered at a rate of 230 mg/kg/animal. Thirty-five animals with a glycemia level of more than 20 mmol/l, which corresponds to a severe form of diabetes mellitus, were divided into 5 groups; the studied doses of metformin were administered by subcutaneous injection in accordance with the test design.

Results. A statistically significant increase in the hypoglycemic effect is observed with an increase in the dose of metformin in the models of parenteral forms, while statistically more significant dose-dependent changes are observed in the form of an oil suspension of metformin.

Conclusion. The conducted complex of studies of parenteral forms of metformin based on models of oil suspension and aqueous solution allows us to conclude about the prospects of the parenteral route of administration, namely the subcutaneous administration option. The established prolongation of the oil suspension model allows us to consider options for developing implantable minimally invasive systems (depot forms) for the delivery of metformin, in order to ensure effective and modern pharmacotherapy of type 2 diabetes mellitus.