This study examined a methylcellulose (MC) formulation that gels at body temperature for enteral alimentation. When 15% glucose, 5% erythritol, and 1.2% sodium citrate mixture were added to a 2% MC solution, the thermal gelation temperature of the MC solution was approximately 32℃, indicating it could gel in response to body heat. After oral administration of a 15% glucose solution, a 15% glucose plus 2% MC solution (GMC solution), or the MC formulation that gels because it is body heat-responsive (BHR), the BHR gelling MC formulation signifiantly delayed the increase in blood glucose compared with the 15% glucose solution and the GMC solution. Upon exposure of the BHR gelling MC formulation and the GMC solution to bufers with either a pH 1.2 or pH 7.4 at 37℃, the amount of glucose released was significantly less in the BHR gelling MC formulation. The amount of glucose remaining in the stomachs of rats 30 min after oral administration of the 15% glucose solution, the GMC solution, and the BHR gelling MC formulation was signifiantly higher for the BHR gelling MC formulation than for the other solutions. In a jejunal loop study, the apparent absorption of glucose from a BHR gelling MC formulation was significantly lower than that for a GMC solution. These results suggest that the BHR gelling MC formulation delays on glucose absorption after oral administration by forming a gel in the intestine.
Key words: Methylcellulose, erythritol, body heat-responsive, blood glucose |
