COLON SPECIFIC DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEMS: CURRENT TRENDS AND APPROACHES

The colon is a site where both local and systemic delivery of drugs can take place. The colon targeted drug delivery system is used for the treatment of various diseases related to colon like Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, etc and systemic delivery of therapeutic peptides and proteins. It can be possible to target disease site thus lowers the requirement of higher doses of drug and reducing the dosage frequency and cost of the drugs. It also lowers the systemic side effects. For successful colon targeted drug delivery, a drug needs to be protected from degradation, release and absorption in the upper portion of the gastric intestinal tract and then to be ensured abrupt or controlled release in the proximal colon. This article gives detail description on anatomy and physiology of the colon and approaches utilized for colon specific drug delivery like prodrugs, pH and time dependent, prodrug, osmotic pressure controlled drug delivery.