title: New targeting strategies in drug therapy of inflammatory bowel disease: mechanistic approaches and opportunities.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an exceptional scenario with regard to drug targeting, as oral administration has the potential to deliver the drug directly to the site(s) of action. Consequently, retention of the drug within the intestinal lumen and tissue, rather than systemic absorption, is frequently desirable.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this article, the traditional drug-delivery strategies used in IBD are briefly summarized. These include rectal dosage forms and oral systems that target the lower intestine/colon by pH-, time-, microflora-, and pressure-dependent mechanisms. Then, the article offers an updated overview of recently developed delivery systems aimed to achieve maximal drug concentrations in the inflamed intestinal tissues with minimal systemic side effects. These include antibodies, small molecules, Janus kinase inhibitors, particulate carrier systems, anti-inflammatory peptides, gene therapy, and transgenic bacteria. The various approaches are reviewed, and the challenges that still remain to be overcome are discussed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The molecular revolution of the past decade profoundly influenced the treatment and management of IBD. In the coming years, this trend is expected to continue. Yet, many challenges are still ahead. A strong collaborative effort by experts from different fields is encouraged and necessary to maximize our success in IBD drug targeting.
authors.affiliation: Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Omri
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Wolk
authors.forename: Svetlana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Epstein
authors.forename: Viktoriya
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ioffe-Dahan
authors.forename: Shimon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ben-Shabat
authors.forename: Arik
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dahan
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D015316:Genetic Therapy; D006801:Humans; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations