title: Therapeutic opportunities in colon-specific drug-delivery systems.
abstract: Oral colon-specific drug-delivery systems have recently gained importance for delivering a variety of therapeutic agents. The major obstacles to delivering drugs to the colon are the absorption and degradation pathways in the upper gastrointestinal tract. However, a successfully designed colon-targeted system can overcome these obstacles. Targeting drugs to the colon has proven quite valuable in a variety of disorders, and the colon has proven to be a potential site for local as well as systemic administration of drugs. Colon targeting has proven beneficial for local action in a variety of disease conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and colonic cancer. Aminosalicylates, corticosteroids, immunosuppressive agents, cationized antioxidant enzymes, genetically engineered bacteria to produce cytokines, nicotine, and other drugs have exhibited significantly enhanced efficacy when delivered to the colon. Targeting drugs to cancer cells through receptors and ligands have opened up new avenues in the treatment of colonic cancer. Colon targeting has also proven useful for systemic action of protein-peptide drugs such as insulin, calcitonin, and met-enkaphalin and even for other nonpeptide drugs such as cardiovascular and antiasthmatic agents. This review also presents various approaches for targeting orally administered dosage forms to the colon. The use of a prodrug approach, bioadhesive polymers, and coating with pH-sensitive and biodegradable polymers has been, to an extent, highly successful in delivering the targeted formulations to the site of action. Biodegrable hydrogels such as amylose, chondroitin sulphate, chitosan, inulin, guar gum, and pectin have also been successfully used to achieve oral colon-targeted delivery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Institute of Pharmacy, Nirma University of Science and Technology, Ahmedabad - 382 481, Gujarat, India.
authors.forename: Mayur
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: Tejal
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.forename: Avani
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Amin
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D001711:Biotransformation; D002626:Chemistry, Pharmaceutical; D003106:Colon / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D003108:Colonic Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D006801:Humans; D007408:Intestinal Absorption; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D004337:Drug Carriers; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations