Oral delivery of insulin provides a good alternative because it is non-invasive and patient-friendly. However, multiple challenges affected this route. To overcome barriers for oral delivery of insulin, we aimed to develop a novel insulin-loaded microemulsion system based on snail mucin for oral administration. The strategy in the novel system of using mucin loading insulin into the inner core of prepared water in oil microemulsion to provide sustained released, increased in vivo stability and enhanced drug absorption in the gastrointestinal tract. We report how microemulsion composed of varying ratios of snail mucin and Tween® 80 (1:9-9:1) using oil/water emulsion preparation method influenced insulin performance after oral administration. The results obtained include an encapsulation efficiency of above 70 %; in vitro release was sustained over 10 h and in vivo evaluations in diabetic rat model shows that insulin-loaded microencapsulation effectively reduced blood glucose levels over a period >8 h after oral administration. Therefore, we suggest that the developed formulation for oral insulin can be a promising alternative dosage form for oral protein delivery.

Summary We studied Na0.8Ni0.33Co0.33Mn0.33O2 nanoparticles synthesized using water‐based extract procured from the dried silk of maize (Zea mays lea) plant. The synthesized Na0.8Ni0.33Co0.33Mn0.33O2 was used as the positive electrode in an aqueous sodium ion battery (SIB). X‐ray diffraction (XRD) studies of the biosynthesized material reveal that it can be indexed to the trigonal structure of Na0.8Ni 0.33Co0.33Mn0.33O2 with an R 3m space group (160), (ICSD 184736) although impurities of Mn2O3 and NiO were detected. Surface morphological studies from a scanning electron microscope (SEM) disclose that the nanoparticles consist of an interspersion of sheath‐like particles with quasi‐spherical nanoparticles of uneven dimensions. The sheath‐like particles seem to agglomerate to form layers that coalesce into flower‐like structures that are spread within the quasi‐spherical nanoparticles. The material yielded a rechargeable discharge capacity of about 86 mA h g−1 in a three‐electrode system consisting of platinum, the Na0.8Ni0.33Co0.33Mn0.33O2 and Ag/AgCl as the counter, working and reference electrodes respectively at a current density of 10 mA g−1. However, a full cell using P25 Degussa TiO2 and the biosynthesized Na0.8Ni0.33Co0.33Mn0.33O2 as the negative and the positive electrode, respectively, and having a mass ratio of 1:1 yielded a discharge capacity of 49 mA h g−1 at a current density of 5 mA g−1. Impedance studies for a symmetrical cell developed showed that the magnitude of the impedance is highest at 0% and 100 state of charge (SOC).