Nanoparticle peptide compositions

1. A nanoparticle composition comprising:

(a) a nanoparticle comprising:

(i) a core comprising a metal and/or a semiconductor;

(ii) a corona comprising a plurality of ligands covalently linked to the core,

wherein said ligands comprise glutathione; and

(b) at least one amylin peptide that is non-covalently bound to the corona, wherein said amylin peptide has an amino acid sequence that is at least 95% identical to the full-length sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 2 or 4.

2. The nanoparticle composition according to claim 1 , wherein the amino acid sequence of said amylin peptide consists of the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 2 or 4.

3. The nanoparticle composition according to claim 1 , wherein the corona comprises at least 5, 10, 20 or 50 ligands per core.

4. The nanoparticle composition according to claim 1 , wherein the corona comprises at least 5, 10, 20 or 50 glutathione ligands per core.

5. The nanoparticle composition according to claim 1 , wherein the number of amylin peptides bound to the nanoparticle comprises: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 20, or at least 50 per core.

6. The nanoparticle composition according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one amylin peptide is bound to the corona of the nanoparticle in a reversible manner.

7. The nanoparticle composition according to claim 1 , wherein the amylin peptide is bound to the corona such that at least a fraction of the bound amylin peptide is released from the nanoparticle upon contacting the nanoparticle composition with a physiological solution.

8. The nanoparticle composition according to claim 1 , wherein said ligands comprise glutathione alone or in conjunction with other species of ligand.

9. The nanoparticle composition according to claim 8 , wherein said ligands comprise combinations of glutathione and carbohydrate ligands.

10. A pharmaceutical composition comprising a plurality of nanoparticles and at least one pharmaceutically acceptable excipient, carrier, buffer, stabilizer, isotonicizing agent, preservative or anti-oxidant, wherein at least 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90% or 95% of the nanoparticles in said composition are the nanoparticles of claim 1 having at least one of said amylin peptides bound.

11. The pharmaceutical composition according to claim 10 , wherein the composition is in an associated form, a suspension or contained in a single package or container.

12. The pharmaceutical composition according to claim 10 , wherein the composition is in the form of one or more doses of a defined (i) quantity of said amylin peptide, or (ii) a level of said amylin peptide activity units.

13. The pharmaceutical composition according to claim 10 , wherein the composition further comprises at least one permeation enhancer that is non-covalently or covalently bound to said core and/or said corona.

14. The pharmaceutical composition according to claim 13 , wherein said permeation enhancer is selected from the group consisting of: an alkyl-D-maltoside, tetradecyl-D-maltoside, dodecyl-β-D-maltoside, hexyl-β-D-maltoside, octyl-β-D-maltoside, nonyl-β-D-maltoside, decyl-β-D-maltoside, undecyl-β-D-maltoside, tridecyl-β-D-maltoside, hexadecyl-β-D-maltoside and lysalbinic acid.

15. The pharmaceutical composition according to claim 14 , wherein said permeation enhancer is non-covalently bound to said corona.

16. A method of treatment of a disorder of glucose regulation in a mammalian subject, the method comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of the nanoparticle composition of claim 1 to the subject in need of said treatment.

17. A method of lowering a blood glucose level in a mammalian subject, the method comprising administering an effective amount of the nanoparticle composition of claim 1 to the subject in need thereof.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein said blood glucose level is basal, fasting or post-prandial.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein the subject has type 1 diabetes mellitus, type 2 diabetes mellitus, gestational diabetes or prediabetes.

20. The method of claim 16 , wherein the nanoparticle composition is administered simultaneously, separately or sequentially with one or more therapeutic agents for the control of blood glucose selected from the group consisting of: insulin or analogue thereof, GLP-1 or analogue thereof, gastric inhibitory peptide (GIP) or analogue thereof, Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor, sulfonylurea, metformin, alpha-glucosidase inhibitor, and thiazolidinediones.

21. The method of claim 16 , wherein the nanoparticle composition is administered via a route selected from the group consisting of: intravenous (i.v.), intramuscular (i.m.), intradermal (i.d.), intraperitoneal infection, subcutaneous (s.c.) injection, infusion; buccal; sublabial; sublingual; by inhalation; via one or more mucosal membranes; urogenital; rectal; and dermal.

22. An article of manufacture comprising:

the nanoparticle composition of claim 1 ;

a container for housing the nanoparticle composition; and

an insert and/or label.

23. A process for producing the nanoparticle composition of claim 1 , the process comprising:

Providing a nanoparticle comprising a core comprising a metal and/or a semiconductor and a corona comprising a plurality of ligands covalently linked to the core, wherein said ligands comprise glutathione; and

contacting the nanoparticle with at least one amylin peptide under conditions which allow the at least one amylin peptide to non-covalently bind to the corona of the nanoparticle, wherein said amylin peptide has an amino acid sequence that is at least 95% identical to the full-length sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 2 or 4.