Development and In Vitro Evaluation of a Large-Intestinal Drug Delivery System

The development of large intestinal drug delivery systems has gained increased attention for the effective treatment of some associated disorders, such as ulcerative colitis, where the therapeutic agent acts locally on the affected parts. The main aim of this study was to develop polymerized carriers capable to deliver drugs effectively to the lower part of the gastrointestinal tract (large intestine). Polymeric pellets, based on hydroxyethyl methacrylate with different crosslinker concentrations, were synthesized using a bulk polymerization method. Mesalazine, which is frequently used to treat inflammatory disorders associated with the large intestine, was selected as a model drug. Swelling and in vitro release studies were performed to assess the developed systems and study the effect of the crosslinker concertation. The swelling and release profiles have decreased significantly with increasing the crosslinker concertation. The produced pellets exhibited a delayed-controlled drug release up to 24 hours, which indicated their potential applicability as successful large-intestinal drug delivery systems.