Biomedical materials (Bristol, England)Feb 5, 2025

Improving oral delivery of semaglutide using coated and modified niosome carriers

GLP-1 Therapies Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Jan 20, 2026

Abstract

The number of people with diabetes is expected to reach 643 million by the end of 2030.

Semaglutide can improve blood glucose levels and reduce hypoglycemia risk in type 2 diabetes patients by promoting insulin secretion and repressing glucagon secretion.
Chitosan hydrochloride-coated and nonionic surfactant-modified niosomes (CS.HCL-NSPEs-NIO) were developed to enhance the oral delivery of semaglutide.
CS.HCL-NSPEs-NIO effectively penetrated intestinal cell junctions, potentially improving drug absorption.
These niosomes remained in the intestine for over 4 hours, which may support prolonged glucose regulation.
In studies with db/db mice, significant reductions in blood glucose levels and weight loss were observed, with no toxicity detected in major organs.

Simplified

Diabetes is now a global chronic disease, with the number of people with diabetes expected to reach 643 million by the end of 2030. Semaglutide, a human glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogue with 94% similarity to human GLP-1, can promote insulin secretion and repress glucagon secretion in a glucose concentration-dependent manner, resulting in substantial improvement of blood glucose levels and reducing the risk of hypoglycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes. To improve the absorption efficiency of semaglutide in oral delivery, we developed chitosan hydrochloride-coated and nonionic surfactant-modified niosomes (CS.HCL-NSPEs-NIO) as a new way to encapsulate it. The results showed that CS.HCL-NSPEs-NIO could efficiently penetrate the cell junctions in the intestinal endothelium and therefore promote drug absorbance. In addition, gastrointestinal distribution studies revealed that CS. HCL-NSPEs-NIO could stay in the intestine for more than 4 h, thus allowing for long-term glucose regulation. Effective reduction of blood glucose levels and weight loss were observed in db/db mice while no toxicity was detected in major organs. On the whole, our recommendation is that CS.HCL-NSPEs-NIO shows promise as an oral delivery tool for enhancing the hypoglycemic effects of semaglutide.

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Improving oral delivery of semaglutide using coated and modified niosome carriers

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